Edith Stephens

Edith Annette Stephens passed peacefully from this life on January 6, 2025, at the age of 86. She was welcomed home by her Heavenly Father and joyfully reunited with her husband Tony, her parents, siblings, and many dear friends. Edith, also known as "Bode" to her Arizona friends and family, was born to Lloyd Daniel Hazen and Ivy Pearl Niemeyer on January 22, 1938, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Funeral Service will be 10:30 AM, Saturday, January 11, 2025 at First Christian Church, 746 Cedar Ave., Tahlequah, Ok. 74464,burial to follow at Holland Cemetery.

The family will receive friends on Friday, January 10, 2025 from 4 PM until 6 PM, at Hart Funeral Home.

She was the youngest of five children. Her family was among the early settlers of the Buckeye Valley in Arizona, where they farmed and ranched. She spent her childhood in Palo Verde, AZ, where she attended elementary school and later graduated from Buckeye High School. Edith cherished her upbringing in Palo Verde alongside her best friend, Glenna Narramore Pendergast, and the Narramore sisters. She also had a special bond with her two aunts, Ruth Harbor and Edith Gettier, often spending extended time with them in Long Beach, California. She met and married the love of her life, Tony Stephens, on February 16, 1957. From this union came three children: Charles, Valerie, and Stephanie. Tony and Bode lived in Gila Bend, Arizona, where they owned several businesses, including a fabric store. Bode loved to sew and made many stylish clothes for herself and her kids throughout the years. She made great Halloween costumes, and clothes for the girls Barbie's and dolls.Tony and Bode lived on a small ranch outside of Gila Bend with a big red barn where she and her father Lloyd (Gramp to the kids) always made sure her kids had good horses to ride. They also boarded their children's best friend's horses, and they encouraged their kids to be involved in many activities including 4H and showing animals.Bode was active in the Mormon church and loved the relationships she made withthe members there. She was involved in the Woman's Relief Society and teaching Primary. She forged many close friendships in Arizona that would last a lifetime. Among those were special friends Peggy Shelton, Gerry Sellers, Lora Dupree, Marge Stelzer, Carol Laird and Lee Watson. She considered their children her own. Many vacations were taken with those families that included visiting the beach in San Diego, CA and Rocky Point, Mexico, camping in the White Mountains and Jeep Trekking across the desert. She and Tony maintained these relationships with their Arizona friends until the end.

In 1974, Tony and Bode bought a cattle ranch in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, where Tony was originally from. They moved their family there, and her children thrived, becoming college graduates and raising strong families of their own. Bode delighted in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who fondly called her "Ga." She made everything fun for them and ensured each family member received a "Ga Ga" blanket at birth, with a larger one sewn for them when they became adults. She was a member of the Cherokee County Cattlewomen's Association, the Twenty-First Century Study Club, and First Christian Church. She also enjoyed traveling with friends and the Bank of Cherokee County Travel Club.

Bode was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Tony; her parents; and her siblings Jim, Ted, Sarah Bryce ("Deedle"), and Don.

She is survived by her children: son Chuck Stephens (Billie) of Locust Grove, Oklahoma; daughters Val Dobbins (Mark) of Tahlequah, OK, and Stephanie Reed (Scott) of Houston, TX. Grandchildren: Jyme Vaughn (Aaron), Stephanie Gray (Joe), Sydney Day (Sean), Britt Dobbins (Kayla), Mitch Reed, and Sarah Reed. Great-grandchildren: Jadyn Lowe, Joseph Gray Jr., Laine Gray, Cole Day and a special adopted granddaughter, Lisa Clem. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Eddy Stephens (Helen) of Leakey, TX, and her Bryce family nieces and nephews, whom she held so dear: Danny, Susie, Keith, Beverly, Jody, and Mary Ann.