Lisa Gothard Rawls

Lisa Gothard Rawls, 62, died surrounded by her family on August 12, 2026, in San Angelo, Texas from complications following a devastating stroke. Lisa was a cherished daughter and sister, a beloved mother to her two sons, and an adored Mimi to her three grandchildren. At the time of her death, she resided in San Angelo, Texas.

Born March 17, 1964, Lisa was the youngest of three children adopted by Jack and LaGaytha Gothard. She was welcomed home by her sister, Gina Gothard Hollweg, and her brother, Monty Gothard, where they grew up together on Mary Street. Lisa fondly remembered spending her summers riding bikes around town and going to the pool with her friends and siblings, so long as she was home before dark. She graduated from Crane High School in 1982, where she played sports as a Crane Lady Bird and was a member of the Crane High School band, earning a scholarship to play flute at McMurry University. Lisa later attended classes at Odessa College, earning her associate’s degree as she pursued a career in nursing. As a registered nurse, Lisa cared for patients across the country, working in emergency departments spanning from Texas to California as a traveling nurse. She was known as a night owl, as she spent much of her career working night shifts.

Lisa became a mother to Jordan Rawls in 1986, and again to Austin Rawls in 1990, choosing to raise her boys in her hometown. She made sure her children grew up a lot like she did, giving them freedom and independence to roam the neighborhood and pastures, so long, of course, as they were home before it was dark. Summers were filled with weekends boating and tubing at her parents’ lake house in San Angelo.

Lisa loved traveling around the country with her children, especially if there was a beach involved. Lisa made sure her children saw and experienced the world outside of West Texas, taking road trips that spanned from coast to coast, and even once into Canada. She enjoyed taking her sons to theme parks and doing the rides with them when they were young. It was a rite of passage for Lisa’s boys to ride Judge Roy Scream at Six Flags as their first “big” roller coaster with Mom.

After retiring from nursing, Lisa relocated to San Angelo, where she lived until she passed. Lisa held her first grandchild in 2018 and became Mimi to two more grandchildren in 2020 and 2024. Lisa always made sure she had some sort of gift to spoil her grandbabies anytime she saw them. Anyone could see that she loved her grandchildren more than anything, except maybe Toby, her miniature Yorkie.

Those that knew Lisa knew she had a twisted sense of humor, a trait she passed down to her boys. She found a way to laugh and smile through life’s tougher moments. Her jokes weren’t for everyone, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying to cheer someone up with laughter and sarcasm. That was her love language.

Lisa knew Jesus and made sure her children were introduced to Christ at a young age. She lived out her faith by caring for others in her career and how she loved. You can see her love captured in photographs. Everyone else looks toward the camera, but Lisa looked at the person beside her, a son, a grandchild, a sibling or father. There was something unmistakable in the way she looked at the people she loved, as though for that moment, they were the only person in the world.

Lisa is preceded in death by her mother, LaGaytha Gothard, and her bonus mother, Mickey Gothard. She is survived by her father, Jack Gothard of Crane, her son and daughter-in-law, Jordan Rawls and Shea Rawls of Garland, her son and daughter-in-law, Austin Rawls and Julia Rawls of Crane, her brother and sister-in-law, Monty Gothard and Nina Gothard of Crane, her sister, Gina Gothard Hollweg of Lenorah, and her three grandchildren, Amari, Willow and Axton.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at Nichols Funeral Home in Crane, Texas, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Funeral for Lisa will be held at Crossroads Church in Odessa, Texas on August 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. with Pastor Trey Hammond officiating. A graveside service will follow at the Crane Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. for those wishing to attend.

Pallbearers are Jordan Rawls, Austin Rawls, Monty Gothard, and Don “Woody” Woodward, Cornelius Wiebe, and Grant Bartlett.