Grace Orilla Stephens

Grace was born Grace Orilla Best on October 11, 1929, in Long Beach, California to Glen and Nellie Best.

In addition to her parents, Grace was preceded in death by her husband, Lester Stephens; her brothers, Earl Best and Darrel Best; her infant son, Billie Ray, and son-in-law, Ed Houston.

She is survived by her three daughters, Carol Jones (Harlan), Glenna Houston, and Sheryl Bright (Jeff); four grandchildren, Carmen Wiebe (Ed), Bryan Houston, Kyla Werdal (Byron), and Andrea Jones (Shane Brown); and seven great-grandchildren, Jared, Hannah, Mateah, Ivan, Braydon, Bowie, and Ella.

In November 1945, at barely 16 years old, she married Lester Stephens. She was a loving and committed wife for 69 years until Lester's death in 2014.

In 1948, following the painful loss of their infant son, after being told by her namesake Auntie Grace that her son went to heaven, she made the decision to give her life to Christ so she could go to heaven and see her son again. That decision changed her life. She recently told someone, “My son led me to Christ”.

She became a pastor’s wife, and she discovered her gift of service. She would welcome anyone into their home and offer a meal. For years, she hosted a Christmas Open House and welcomed the community. She baked for days preparing yummy cookies and candies, and the fellowship and food were enjoyed by so many.

As a teenager, she worked in the hop fields. Later, she worked as a secretary in a bank in Dallas, Texas and as a church secretary in several churches in the Rogue Valley. And all the while, being a great homemaker. She could make any house a home... and she had some challenging ones.

She was a hard worker, and her work was certainly not limited to inside the home... she would do it all!

She especially enjoyed living on a farm. She often said she felt bad for anyone that didn't get to grow up on a farm.

She loved to laugh, and when she was younger, she loved to dance. She often talked about how much fun the dances were at the Grange. She also enjoyed playing table games... she thought just sitting around visiting was boring. Sadly, in recent years, her poor eyesight made many things that she once enjoyed more difficult. She had to give up sewing, cooking and so many things she enjoyed.

For years, she captivated the young and old alike, teaching bible stories using flannelgraphs. She still spoke of how much she enjoyed that and missed it. She played the piano and the accordion in church and for church events. She enthusiastically led or was involved in Awana club, Vacation Bible School, and “Release Time” for Ruch community school children.

Grace was such a great example of a godly woman... full of faith, love and grace. Even in her later years, she could be found on her knees by her bed, in prayer. She wasn't one to complain, she would make the best of any situation. She spoke often of how blessed she was. We will miss her so much, but we are so happy to know that she is laughing and dancing in heaven, in the presence of her loving LORD.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 2:00pm at First Baptist Church, located at 649 Crater Lake Ave, Medford, Oregon.

In lieu of flowers, she requested that donations be made in her memory to any of these organizations:

Samaritans Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/donate-online/

Wilderness Trails: http://www.wildernesstrails.net/donate-today-1

Medford Gospel Mission: https://medfordgospelmission.org/donate/