Mary R. Stephens

Decatur ~ Mary R. Stephens, 88, went to be with our Lord Tuesday, January 21, 2020 in Decatur, Texas.

Graveside service is 11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 30, 2020 at Greenwood Cemetery.

Mary was born on August 17, 1931 to Harley Zeling and Ethyl (Richardson) Rutherford in Childress, Texas. She was married to Gerald Gilbert Stephens on August 23, 1951. She was a dairyman and rancher and a faithful member of Greenwood Baptist Church. Mary lived her entire life in Greenwood, she enjoyed gardening and could grow anything.  Mary had roses in every color but especially loved her wisteria, she couldn’t wait for it to bloom each year. 

Mary loved watching her animals from her back porch. She just had to go out her front door rattling her feed bucket for her horses to come running for her to feed out of her hand.  She loved watching her goats run everywhere and excited when they had babies. Her cattle roamed from pasture to pasture, when one of her donkeys had a baby she called everyone she knew to stop by and see the newest addition.  Mary and Gerald worked hard dairying and farming. When most kids were enjoying the summer the Stephens family was in the hay field. Mary said she could never get caught up because there was so much to do but she loved it, she said it was like having a zoo with so many animals.

When Gerald died in 1980, Mary continued to dairy and farm.  Each of her children participated in different ways to keep the farm going, Mary said looking at her green pasture full of her cows was like looking at heaven.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; 2 sons, Gerald Glen Stephens and Michael Craig Stephens; her brother, Hardy Rutherford.

Those left behind to cherish her memory are 2 daughters, Cheryl Barekman and husband Joe of Euless and Melanie Jones and husband Mark of Decatur; 9 grandchildren, Mary Mika Hilton of San Antonio, Clay Stephens of Alvord, Michael Stephens, Jr. of Fort Worth, Clint Stephens of Greenwood, Gerald Wade Jones of Decatur, J.C. Jones Davies of Austin, Jaime Stephens of Fort Worth, Cannon Stephens of Austin, and Ray-Ann Truesdell of San Antonio; 8 great grand-children; her sister Velita Rutherford of Cleburne; brother, Benny Rutherford of Greenwood; numerous nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.

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