Ethel L. Stephens

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

My Story, My Journey, My Legacy..... As we retrace the footprints of Ethel Lois Scott Stephens, we can only give thanks for the many lives she touched and enriched along life’s journey. She was a meek and humble woman, and she was blessed to enjoy many of God’s blessings as a child, a wife, and a mother.

Ethel Scott began her journey of life on September 16, 1930, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, as the youngest child of Lacy, Sr. and Maxie Scott. Ethel had twin older brothers that affectionally called her “Tut”. She was preceded in death by her parents and her twin brothers. On the morning of May 29, 2021, Ethel Stephens peacefully stepped from mortality into eternity in her 90th season of life.

Ethel graduated from Peake High School in Arkadelphia. Upon graduating, she attended AM&N College in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

In 1955, Ethel married Willie L. Stephens, her sweetheart, and her one true love. Together, they laid a solid foundation for family life, based on love, commitment, and Christian values. Ethel and Willie became the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, Brenda Lee and Yvonne Louise. They were the grandparents of four incredible grandchildren, Te’Aisha, Whitney, Terrance, and Shavonica.

Mrs. Ethel Stephens took pride in being a good mother and housewife. Her golden accomplishment was to make a loving home for her children and grandchildren. They were the light of her life. As the children got older, Ethel took a job at the “West End Cleaners”, a business owned by her parents. Later, she worked at “The Vassarette,” for a number of years until she retired.

Ethel had two best friends. They were fondly called the “Golden Girls.” Now, the “Golden Girls” are back together again in heaven. These three were best friends until the end. They were Classie Brownlee, Vivian Harris, and Ethel Stephens.

Ethel loved the Lord Jesus Christ. She served faithfully at the Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Arkadelphia until her health failed. She served as a deaconess, a choir member, a youth leader, and a member of the hospitality committee.

Ethel loved life. She especially enjoyed shopping, traveling, cooking, and fellowshipping with family and friends. She loved designer suits and matching hats and she was always dressed to impress. She took pleasure in traveling all over the United States with her husband who was a veteran in the United States Air Force. Holidays were always extra special at the Stephen’s home, where Ethel would cook chicken and dressing, and bake cakes and pastries from scratch. She was well known for her pineapple cream cheese pie. When her nieces and nephews heard that “Tutsie” was baking homemade rolls, they would all show up right on time. Ethel Stephens was that virtuous woman, who would go out of her way to make everybody feel “at home.”

Mrs. Stephens was preceded in death by her loving husband, her parents, her twin brothers, and her two granddaughters, Te’Aisha Leeper and Whitney Kelley.

She leaves to cherish and honor her life’s journey: Two Daughters and One Son-in-Law Brenda Kelley of Texarkana, Texas Yvonne and Blake Wilson of Arkadelphia, Arkansas One Grandson Terrance Kelley of Plano, Texas One Granddaughter and Her Fiance’ Shavonica Wilson and Dedrick Box of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Many lives have been made brighter and enriched because of Ethel Lois Stephens. Her legacy of love will live on forever. 

Services are under the direction of Mitchell Funeral Home of Arkadelphia, AR. Visitation will be on Friday, June 4, 2021, at Mitchell Funeral Home from 12 noon-5:00 P.M. Funeral services will be on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 11:00 A.M. at Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Arkadelphia where Dr. Lewis A. Shepherd, Jr. is pastor and eulogist. The committal and final resting place will be at Rest Haven Memorial Gardens in Arkadelphia. 

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