Mary Stephenson

January 23, 1928 - December 27, 2022

Mary J. Stephenson passed away peacefully surrounded by family on December 27th in Moraga, California.

Mary Stephenson (nee Jacoway) was born in Chattanooga, TN, on Jan. 23rd, 1928 to William Dunlap Jacoway and Edna Cureton Jacoway. She was the youngest of three daughters. Mary attended the University of Tennessee and was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority earning a bachelor’s degree in General Science. In 1954, she accepted a position with the US Government to teach school to the children of the GIs posted in the south of France. In 1955, she accepted a second teaching position, moving to Heidelberg, Germany where she was introduced to Waite H. Stephenson Jr., whom she married in Copenhagen, in 1956.

Waite and Mary started their family in Heidelberg, but eventually returned to the United States to find a permanent home in the Bay Area where Waite had grown up. They settled in Lafayete, CA where they raised three children. Waite worked as an engineer for Bechtel Corporation and Mary taught grades 5-6 at Glorietta Elementary School in Orinda for 25 years. Waite and Mary traveled extensively in their retirement years with multiple long visits to the English countryside. Mary enjoyed gardening, opera, playing bridge and belonged to several book clubs. She was always on the go, energetic and cheerful. She loved visiting with the neighbors and could easily strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

Mary was pre-deceased by her husband Waite Henry Stephenson Jr, her son Waite Henry Stephenson III, and her sisters Bonnie Jacoway Bledsoe of Texas and Edna Jacoway Gill of Chattanooga, TN. She is survived by her daughter Whitney Stephenson, her son William Stephenson (Belinda Will) and their daughter, Blair Stephenson. Services will be held on Saturday, January 28th at 10:00 am, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 66 St. Stephen’s Drive, Orinda, CA.

The family requests no food or flowers. Donations may be made to the Carmel Library or the charity of your choice.