Funeral services for Inez Stephens, 82, of Washington were held at 2 p.m. Monday, June 3, 2024 at the Wilson-Little Funeral Home Chapel. Interment followed at Hillside Cemetery in Purcell under the direction of the Wilson-Little Funeral Home of Purcell.
Mrs. Stephens passed away peacefully on May 29, 2024.
Velma Inez Qualls was born on September 8, 1941 in Purcell, Oklahoma, the second of five children born to Hubert Alvin Qualls and Mildred Inez (Reinhardt) Qualls. She attended Purcell Public Schools and graduated with the Dragon Class of 1959.
Inez married her high school sweetheart, Donald Ray Stephens. After dating for three years, they were married on July 11, 1959 in Purcell. Don and Inez soon moved to Caddo, Oklahoma, where together they worked on a ranch for the next eight years.
In 1967, the Stephens family moved to Washington, Oklahoma where they ran a dairy farm until around 1982. Even into their later years they continued to have stock cattle and baby calves. Inez and Don farmed and ranched side by side, every day for nearly 64 years. Inez was a strong and determined farm wife. She demonstrated these qualities through her impressive work ethic; she could outwork most men!
Inez was truly a beautiful woman, inside and out. She had many talents and hobbies. She enjoyed crafting, crocheting, leatherwork, sewing, cake decorating, shopping, jigsaw puzzles and working in her flower beds.
Inez was also a woman of great faith, and she would proudly profess it to anyone and everyone. Inez loved attending church at Iron Chapel, where she not only served as the church secretary for several years but she also taught vacation bible school. In her later years, she was a faithful member of the Lexington Freewill Baptist Church. Inez will be remembered for her beautiful smile, her beautiful singing voice and for always being a gracious host for family holidays, cookouts and church meals. She will be dearly missed!
She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Don Stephens; her parents, Alvin and Mildred Qualls; sisters, Norma (Qualls) Stephens, Mary Ann Qualls and an infant sister; and brother-in-law, Curtis Dale Stephens.
Inez is survived by her son, Gary Don Stephens and wife, Mary, of Washington; daughter, Donna Kay Reed and husband, Richard, of Washington; brothers, Richard Qualls and wife, Sandi, of Wister and Wesley Qualls and wife, Vicky, of Lexington; Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Jack Vaughn of Washington; five grandchildren, Kayla Murphy and Mike Newman of Washington, JR Auwen and wife, Kay, of Lexington, Marisa Shea of Oklahoma City, Heather Kenworthy and husband, Kyle, of Texas, and Hali Burroughs and husband, Brian, of Texas; seven great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of other family and friends.
Online condolences may be made at www.wilsonlittle.com.