Carolyn Rose Stephens

Carolyn Rose (Boyd) Stephens went to glory on Thursday, June 8, 2023, at the age of 84.  She was holding hands with her family and friends as she departed this world to enter the Gates of Heaven where we know a joyous reunion was taking place with family and friends who had gone before her. 
Carolyn was born at her Grandma Caroline’s house in Broken Arrow on January 30, 1939.  She was the first of four children born to Leon and Gladys (Duensing) Boyd. After graduating from Edison High School in 1958, Carolyn worked several part-time jobs including TG&Y and the National Bank of Tulsa. It was also at this time she met the love of her life Eugene (Gene) Stephens. Together, they raised three children on love and hard work, eventually moving to Inola from Tulsa in 1975.
Once all her babies were in school, Carolyn went back to work at the National Bank of Tulsa (now Bank of Oklahoma), and she remained a loyal employee until 2009. She worked her way up the ladder over her 40 plus years at BOK and reached the position of Vice President/Trust Officer by the time she left the workforce to be “Grammy” full-time. 
Gene and Carolyn loved living in the country, and it didn’t matter to Carolyn that she had to drive 65 miles to work every day, spend her weekends mowing 5 acres during the summer time, or that she had to contend with a skunk getting under the house from time to time. To her, it didn’t matter because she and Gene were living their best life. At any given time, you could find them at the donut shop, going to the movies, shopping for a new car, truck or tractor, road tripping with the grandkids to Silver Dollar City, or buying (yet more) beanie babies at the mall. They loved spending time together and with their family making memories. 
Carolyn had the best one-liners, and she wasn’t afraid to use them regardless of who was listening. She taught her children and grandchildren to be “tougher than a night in jail” and was the rock we leaned on in difficult times. She loved diet coke, chihuahuas, Elvis, true crime stories, Survivor, peanut M&Ms, and pink was her signature color. She kicked cancer in the face two times (breast and esophageal), and she was proud to spend time with her friend Bill W., the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Carolyn is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Gene Stephens, daughter Julia R. Bynum, sister Dorlene Smith, bother Darrell Boyd, and her parents.  
Carolyn is survived by her daughter Jeanne Applegate (Paul Parrott); beloved daughter-in-law Lauren Lindeman (Mike); son Mark Stephens; grandsons Matthew Applegate, Kyle Applegate (Christina), and Wes Stephens; granddaughters Alexis Stephens and Ashlyn Metzler (Jacob); great-grandchildren Tristan, Bradlee, Frankie Arabella; brother L.D. Boyd (Betty), and many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.