Virginia Elderene Stephenson (née Foster) died peacefully in the early hours of January 24, 2014, at Clinton Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Clinton, Missouri. She was 86 and had long suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Virginia was born September 2, 1927, in Columbia, Tennessee, the daughter of Gracie Clementine Hood and Albert Foster. Proud of her Cherokee heritage, Virginia was largely raised under the watchful eye of her grandmother, Laura Jane Dooley Hood, a full-blooded Cherokee.

Virginia, or "Jean" as she was known for many years, finished elementary school in Tennessee, and then moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where she attended a private girls' school for a time with her sister, Ellawene Dalaska. Ellawene preceded Virginia in death several years ago.

Virginia travelled extensively over the southern and western United States before settling down in Independence, Missouri, with her husband, Thomas Roy Stephenson, Sr., whom she married on February 7, 1956, and who survives her at Clinton Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. In 1968, the family relocated to the Lake of the Ozarks area. Thomas and Virginia had five children, all of whom survive to honor her memory: Jerry L. Stephenson of Carlsbad, California; Thomas Roy Stephenson, Jr. of Calhoun, Missouri; Nancy Virginia Ann Stephenson of Erie, Kansas; Joseph F. Stephenson of Abilene, Texas; and Mark D. Stephenson of Willard, Missouri. The proud grandmother of eight grandchildren, she also had three great-grandchildren, and leaves many nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

Virginia worked for a time at Rival Manufacturing in Sedalia and later at several restaurants around the Lake of the Ozarks, but spent her younger years raising her children. She attended football and basketball games, music contests, and parent-teacher conferences, in addition to cooking for bake sales and foreign language banquets. Virginia was also active in local churches during the family's residence in Braymer and Fortuna, Missouri. In later years, her favorite indoor activities were watching game shows, Chiefs football, and Royals baseball while nurturing her beloved cats and flowering houseplants. She enjoyed shopping, especially at thrift stores, where a happy purchase might be another brightly colored blouse, a turquoise ring, or a pair of moccasins.

A small ceremony for family and friends is planned for 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 1, at Clinton Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, located at 1009 East Ohio Street in Clinton. The family expresses their gratitude to the employees of the Golden Valley Home Health Agency, Clinton Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, and Heartland Hospice for the attentive and professional care Virginia received at their hands.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home of Clinton, Missouri.