Caroline Ruth Wright Stephens, 83, passed away on September 6, 2021, in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was born November 9, 1937 to Ruth Katherine Gygi and James Clifford Wright in Oakland, California. Carol grew up in Oakland, graduating from Oakland High School in 1955.
Carol attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She married Keith Leon Stephens in the Los Angeles LDS Temple on November 2, 1956. While living in Oakland, the family was blessed with a son, Scott and three daughters, Julie, Christine, and Karen. The family lived in various cities in the Bay Area, namely, Alameda, Lafayette and Concord. Her husband Keith passed away in 1998. Carol moved to St. George, Utah in 2004 where Julie and her family resided. In 2017, she moved to Plaza Healthcare, a more advanced care facility with ventilator support, in Scottsdale, Arizona; where she stayed until her passing.
Carol was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was a teacher in the church to the children, youth, and women organizations and also a volunteer in the St. George Temple for over 10 years. In her later years, though confined to a wheelchair, she served faithfully as the compassionate service leader striving to ease the burden of others.
During her life, Carol enjoyed first and foremost being a mother and grandmother. She loved music and playing the piano, sewing clothes, cooking and eating good food, and spending family vacations at Lake Tahoe. She also loved animals, especially dogs and horses. As a youth, she enjoyed swimming, playing softball, and riding her horse, Stonewall Jackson. Later in life, she enjoyed watching Korean dramas with her children.
What we will miss most about our mother is her infectious laughter, her warm hugs, and her bright outlook on life.
She is survived by her son, Scott Stephens of Mesa, Arizona, daughters Julie and her husband John Kunzler of Saint George, Utah, Christine Stephens of Richmond, California, and Karen and her husband Eric Walker of Idaho Falls, Idaho, as well as 12 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. Carol was preceded in death by her parents and by her husband, Keith Stephens.
Interment will be in Oakmont Memorial Park in Lafayette, California. A graveside service will be held on September 18, 2021, at 1:30 PM. Condolences can be sent online to https://www.hansenmortuary.com/ in Phoenix Arizona.