Wilda Jean “Jeanie” Stephenson (1933-2017)

          Wilda Jean “Jeanie” Stephenson, age 83, of Kenosha, passed away peacefully on January 22^nd 2017 at home, surrounded by family.

          Born on March 27^th, 1933 in Rienzi MS, she was the daughter of John and Mary (Warren) Maddox. She attended schools in Rienzi and moved to Kenosha in 1952. On June 26^th, 1953, she married John E. Stephenson who preceded her in death in 1989.

          She worked as a nurse’s aide at St. Catherine’s Hospital from 1964 until it closed, then continued at St. Luke’s Hospital in Racine until her retirement in 2004.

          Jeanie liked to listen to her Cubs, but seemed happier to belong to a team than to root for one. She enjoyed spending time with her friends, especially traveling with her longtime friend Dee Smith. She always made herself available, as a sister and daughter, as a wife and mother, to show how important the gift of being part of a family was to her.

Though her house was always full of her own kids and their neighborhood pals, she extended that sense of belonging by opening her home to foster children. The warmth of her gentle understanding never faltered, no matter what sort of troubles were involved. It also never faded, as the grandkids, and then their kids delighted to discover. She made everyone she met feel that they had truly found a special friend. They liked to say that she would give away her last dollar and there is no doubt that she did more than once. 

We are all diminished by her loss.

Jeanie is survived by her three sons Joe (Kitt), Keith (Ann) and David, her sister Mary (Tom) Eidsor, and her brother Jerry (Karen) Maddox. She is also survived by her granddaughters Kelly Stephenson, Melissa (Greg) Mauldin and Amber Wallis, her grandsons Robert (Tori) Villarreal, Adam Villarreal and Adam Kapplehoff and by a large number of great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and many longtime friends.

She was preceded in death by a son William Stephenson, a brother Harold “Bud” Maddox and a sister Annette Maddox.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:

Kindred Hospice

197 West Chestnut Street

Burlington WI 53105.