Patricia Jean Stephenson

Patricia Jean Stephenson passed away May 30, 2021. She was born February 12, 1928, in Apperson, Oklahoma, to Bernard Michael and Clara Mae Evanhoe. She graduated in 1949 from Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (now OSU) in Dietetics and earned an internship with the Army Women Medical Specialist Corp. While serving at Camp Carson Army Hospital in Colorado Springs, she met Lieutenant Hollis Sawyer, and they married on September 30, 1951. Pat was widowed February 6, 1956, when Hollis died in a mining accident leaving her and their two young daughters, Barbara and Betsy. Pat later met Donald Loren Stephenson, and the couple married on July 3, 1959. Don adopted Barbara and Betsy, and they had a son William, nicknamed "Steve."

Pat earned a Master's Degree in Dietetic Management and published several articles in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. She worked many years at the Topeka Veterans Administration Hospital, wrote a cookbook, "Every Day Low Fat Cooking," and had a weekly nutrition column in the Topeka Capital Journal. After retirement and with Don's passing in 2000, she lived in Wisconsin near Barbara. Pat was an accomplished artist and loved to garden, write, do genealogical research and, most of all, spend time with her family. She instilled in her children a love of reading, strongly encouraged education and the pursuit of knowledge, and was a loving mother and grandmother. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents and two siblings, Carol and Edward, and is survived by her brother Charles Evanhoe (Debbie), and her children Barbara Stephenson (Pete Voldeng), Betsy Kettle (David), and Steve Stephenson (Amy). She is also survived by eight grandchildren: Nelson Voldeng (Barbara); Brain Collum, Katerina Pollack and Taylor Kettle (Betsy); Grace Nielsen, Jared Stephenson, Joshua Stephenson, and Suzanna Parkinson (Steve), and a great-granddaughter, Thea Jean Nielsen.

A graveside service will be held at 1:00pm Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Mount Hope Cemetery, Topeka.

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