Funeral services for Mrs. Jeannette Stephens were conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19 at Pine Ridge Baptist Church at Lawrence with Bro. Larry Laird officiating. Interment followed in the Pine Ridge Cemetery under the direction of Ott & Lee Funeral Home in Forest.
Visitation was from 5–8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18 at the funeral home and from 10-10:45 a.m. Friday at Pine Ridge Baptist Church.
Mrs. Stephens, 76 and a resident of Lawrence passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, at Anderson Regional Medical Center in Meridian.
The Newton County native was a homemaker and sales representative for Stanley Products Inc. and Watkins Products Inc. for many years. She was also a former employee of the Newton Company. Mrs. Stephens will be remembered for her love she had for her family, a matriarch, a “Proverbs 31” virtuous woman, a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend.
Generous, giving, kind, selfless, and loving are adjectives expressed by her family members to describe her. Her lifestyle portrayed that of a patient Christian woman from the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in the scriptures: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. She lived in the Spirit of Christ and walked in that Spirit, and enjoyed the fellowship of her church family at Pine Ridge Baptist Church, where she was a faithful member.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Admiral and Mattie Lou Gibbs Culpepper; one son: Danny E. Stephens; one great-granddaughter, Hope Thomas; one brother, Jimmy Dale Culpepper; and two sisters, Shirley Hollingsworth and Pam Pace.
Survivors include her husband of more than 58 years, Mr. Robert Stephens of Lawrence; two children, Travis (Deborah) Stephens of Lawrence and Lisa (Perry) Luke of Union; one daughter-in-law, Karen Stephens of Lawrence; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren; one brother, David (Joann) Culpepper of Lisman, Ala.; and two sisters: Louise Morgan of Newton and Brenda (Ritchie) Jones of Pearl; one sister-in-law: Pat Culpepper of Magnolia; and several nieces and nephews.
Serving as pallbearers were Matt Stephens, Joel Martin, Danny W. Parker, Mike Stephens, Scotty White and Chris Morgan.
Honorary pallbearers were Kenny Stephens, Michael Culpepper, Johnny Culpepper and Glen Culpepper.
