SYBIL STEVENS
FLORENCE - Lois Sybil Stevens, beloved wife of Dr. Roy S. Stevens, passed away on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at the age of 96. Visitation with the family will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 9 in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church of Florence, with a celebration of life following at 12:15 p.m. with Rev. Dale Cohen and Rev. Dr. Terry Stubblefield officiating. Special music will be provided by Linda May and
Ashley Lewis Lozano. After the service, Sybil will join her parents, sister, and favorite son-in-law in eternal rest in Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens in Florence.
Sybil was born in Olive Hill, Kentucky on February 18, 1927 to Urcle and Estella (Oppenheimer) Fielding. The moment she laid eyes on her "dirt road dude" Roy S. Stevens, the "most handsome man she'd ever seen," just 19 years later, she told her sister, Marguerite, "That's the man I'm going to marry." And so she did, on August 24, 1947 in the Methodist church in Olive Hill. As her superior choice of mate confirms, Sybil was one smart cookie. She graduated from business school in Kentucky and worked for the U.S. Army Air Corps at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio in the latter years of World War II. After the war, Sybil returned to her hometown to work as a secretary/bookkeeper for the General Refractories brickworks. After her marriage, she joined her groom at Eastern Kentucky University, working at JCPenney for two years while he completed his studies. Roy's career in education took the couple to Mississippi, then to Florence, Alabama, where in 1950 they welcomed Debby Sue, their cherished daughter. From 1955 to 1973, Sybil worked alongside her husband at the University of North Alabama (then Florence State College/ University) as a bookkeeper and clerk. Sybil's most important jobs, though, by far, were loving and supporting her husband, guiding and nurturing her daughter, and mentoring and caring for her grandson and
great-grandchildren. She could do anything that she put her mind to, from designing and sewing clothes for herself, Debby, and Debby's dolls to painting delicate florals on china plates to decorate her dining room. Sybil was known for her natural beauty, exquisite taste, and impeccable fashion; she was unfailingly stunning, sharp, and stylish. She loved dancing, reading (especially as a member of the Peron Book Club), playing bridge, exercising, entertaining, storytelling, reminiscing, socializing, and worshiping with her family. As a Momma, a Mimi, and a matriarch, Sybil was our role model, setting the bar high and earning our utmost respect with her unfailing grace, poise, etiquette,
decorum, wisdom, and kindness. She was thoughtful and generous, and never, ever failed to tell us how grateful she was to have us in her life. If she said to us, "We're thankful," once, she said it a million times. However, we were the ones who were truly blessed.
Sybil was a devoted member of First United Methodist Church of Florence for more than 70 years, joining the W.A. Graham Sunday School class for "young couples" and fully participating in the class until, at 96, she was its third-oldest member. She served her church in many capacities through the years, and truly adored her church family.
Sybil was preceded in death by her parents; infant brother, James Fielding; sister, Shirley Marguerite (Fielding) Armfield and her husband Frank; and "the best son-in-law there ever was" Glen Nelson. She leaves behind her husband of 76 years, Dr. Roy S. Stevens, who worshiped and loved her with a passion few of us will be lucky enough to experience; her daughter, Debby (Stevens) Nelson, who would do anything in this world for her Momma; her only grandson, Doug Hartley, and his wife Patricia (Bryant) Hartley; her great-grandchildren Jessica Lane Hartley and James Nelson "Jamie" Hartley and wife Lily (Loden) Hartley; special family friend Toddman "Todd" Thompson, his wife Lisa, and his daughter Emma Grace Thompson; and a host of treasured friends, neighbors, and extended family members.
Pallbearers at Sybil's services will be Doug Hartley, Jamie Hartley, Todd Thompson, Casey Glover, Macke Mauldin, and Don Miller. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Rivers Lindsey and Gunther Sigle.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Sybil's memory to First United Methodist Church of Florence, 415 N. Seminary Street, Florence, AL 35360 or to the University of North Alabama's Sam and Nell Williams in Honor of Roy S. Stevens Endowed Scholarship for students with financial need, ℅ UNA Foundation, UNA Box 5113, Florence, AL 35632.