Donna Hancock Stephenson

Donna Hancock Stephenson passed away suddenly at her home on January 17, 2026. She was a young 73 years old and was with her husband at the time of her passing. There was no time for her to experience pain or suffering, and her family is grateful for that small blessing.

Donna was born in Woodbury, TN, but moved to Chattanooga with her family at an early age. There, her parents started attending a church in Hixson where they met the Stephenson Family with a son of the same age, and a lifelong relationship began. Alan saw it coming first and talked Donna into giving him a date in their junior year at Hixson High School. They went on to attend Auburn University and were married in their senior year at Auburn in 1974.

Donna was blessed with loving parents and brother (Will and Wilma (Mingle) Hancock, and Joel Hancock, all now deceased) and a large, supporting family of grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. The values transferred through her large family always stayed with her, and her love never faltered.

She will be remembered for so many things by her family and friends because of her loving attention to others, her innate optimism, and her kindness. She was a caregiver in the most comprehensive sense of the word, and cared deeply for so many.

In 1977, her first son, Reed Stephenson, currently living in Kennesaw, GA, was born. Six years later they had a second son, Ben, who is currently living in Hendersonville. The two sons each had a daughter, Pace and Charley, and there are no words to describe the depth of love that she felt for her sons and granddaughters, who called her Nona. With open arms, Donna welcomed the mothers of her 2 granddaughters into the family (Marin, Paces mom, and Kara, Charley’s mom). She was always grateful to the partners of her two sons, Alexis Kellett and Kara Morgan Stephenson, for the love and support they have given and continue to give to her sons and granddaughters.

Donna discovered a love of oral interpretation while at Auburn, and when she moved to Nashville, she became an actress in multiple community productions and a smaller number of professional productions. The love from that creative community throughout her life will always be remembered by her family. Her performances sparkled in such productions as “The Octette Bridge Club” at Lakewood Theater, “Miss Reardon Drinks a Little” at the Darkhorse Theater, and “The Last Night at Ballyhoo” for which she won a First Night award for Best Supporting Actress at the Tennessee Reparatory Theater. Though the number of productions is too numerous to list, it should be noted that she brought her husband to tears many times while on stage, particularly in her performance as Babe in the play “Crimes of the Heart” performed at Lakewood. The friendships that she forged during these intense periods of rehearsal and performance stayed with her always.

Then there were her high school friends, her Auburn friends, her Church friends, and her neighbor friends. She and Alan, with the boys, joined Woodland Presbyterian Church in 1985 where they both served on the Session of the church at various times. The Christian principles that were practiced by leaders and friends at Woodland fit comfortably with her basic nature, and those church friendships bolstered her innate sense of faithfulness and love.

These many circles of friends seldom overlapped but came together for a surprise Golden Wedding Anniversary that was organized by the sons last year. The family is grateful for the love and support offered by all these circles that were so important to her.

Her loss has been devastating to family and friends, but the light from her spirit continues, and will always be remembered.

Finally, Donna loved her dogs. There were many across her lifetime and they always became a part of the immediate family. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in the form of a check to Dogs in Harmony, Inc., 159 Cline Ridge Road, Winchester TN 37398-3914. For Venmo contributions: @Lila-Trivisonno. Please note donations in memory of Donna.