Carole Light Stephens

Carole Light Stephens, 75, died November 22, 2019.

Carole was born on August 20, 1944, to Burchell Marion Light and Emma Ernestine Cook Light in Wilmington, Delaware. Her youth was spent in Alderson, West Virginia, graduating from Alderson High School in 1962.  After graduation, she entered Petersburg School of Nursing and Richard Bland College in Petersburg, VA, from which she graduated as a Registered Nurse.  After graduation, she served as a BSU Summer Missionary at Nalerigu Baptist Hospital in Ghana as a relief nurse to allow staff nurses some vacation time.

She met John while he was on active duty in the U. S. Air Force at Fort Lee AFS located near Petersburg and they began dating before he was assigned to duty in West Germany.  He returned from Germany in September and they were married on February 12, 1966, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Colonial Heights, VA.

After marriage, she and John came to Athens, GA and Carole began working in the Emergency Room at Athens General Hospital .  She was trained as an EMT and taught the classes for the first EMTs when AGH began emergency ambulance service.

Her nursing experience was interrupted briefly for the birth of children in 1970 (Angela), 1976 (Jay), and 1985 (Heather).  Between children, she was active teaching the first childbirth classes in Athens and wrote a handbook for parents wishing to experience natural childbirth.  The book has been used extensively across the country.  She also served as the Director of Nursing at Family Life Enrichment Center and several other nursing homes in the area, with the Northeast Georgia Health District and the Kelly Workshop before forming ROCAST, Inc. with two friends to provide services for Personal Care Homes across Northeast Georgia until 2012 when she retired.

She worked several summers at Camp Winshape on the Berry College Campus when the Winshape program was in it’s formative years.  She was instrumental in establishing the procedures and protocols for nursing care and supervision at the camp.

She and John were members of Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, GA for 52 years before moving their membership to Lexington Baptist Church to be closer to their home in Maxeys, GA.  At BHBC, she served in the children’s department, coordinator for family night supper, taught “First Place” classes, a Biblical based wellness program, as well as co-teaching a College and Career Class for several years.  She enjoyed participation in the Adult Choir as well as directing a children’s choir for several years.  She loved music, served as an organist and pianist in her hometown church, Old Greenbrier Baptist Church in Alderson, WV while in high school.

Moving to Lexington Baptist Church, she demonstrated her love of music by participating in the Worship Choir in spite of health issues and was a member of the Dorothy Woods Sunday School class.

She is survived by her husband John, her three children and their spouses, Art and Angela Heaphy, Jay and Tiffany Stephens, and John and Heather Parham, 14 grandchildren as well as two brothers and their wives, several nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lexington Baptist Church Building Fund.

Lord and Stephens Funeral Home, EAST, is in charge of arrangements.