Frances Leah Oberlin Stephens

Frances Leah Oberlin Stephens was born on September 30, 1945, to Irving and Oleta Oberlin in Natchez, Mississippi. The oldest of three siblings, she graduated from Natchez High School in 1963. On October 6, 1963, she married Dr. Joseph Stephens at Melmont, the Oberlin family home in Natchez. Joseph was a surgeon, former Superintendent of the Natchez Charity Hospital, and co-founder of Nautilus Memorial Hospital in Waverly, Tennessee. Frances worked in her parents’ jewelry store and movie theater until the birth of their son, Joseph Samuel, in 1971. Their daughter, Courtney Alyson, joined the family in 1972. A devoted stay-at-home mother, Fran was deeply involved in her children’s lives, faithfully capturing every event through photographs and videos.

Until Joseph’s retirement in 1972, he commuted from Natchez to Waverly. In 1979, the Stephens family moved from Natchez to Waverly. Fran became a grandmother in 1999. After 38 years of marriage, Joseph passed away on January 12, 2002. Known lovingly as MawMaw and Nana, Fran was a devoted, doting, and entertaining grandmother to ten grandchildren and, later, a great-grandmother.

Frances passed away on March 9, 2026, following a hemorrhagic stroke she suffered on February 12, 2026, at the Dickson Wal-Mart. Just two days before her stroke, she held her great-grandson for the first time. In her final weeks, she was surrounded constantly by her children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends who held her hand, spoke to her, sang hymns, prayed, and encouraged her faith in the Lord Jesus. The steady stream of visitors reflected the deep affection so many felt for her. She was remembered for her kindness, gentle spirit, and generous heart.

Frances was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Joseph, and her niece Amber Dawn Oberlin. She is survived by her brothers, Stanley “Rock” Oberlin and Samuel Oberlin; her children, Joe Sam Stephens (Dana) and Courtney Alyson Stephens Rice (David); her grandchildren and great-grandchild, Toby Rice (Rachael), Leah Rice, Aaron Rice (Kate) and son Forest, Levi Rice (Elisabeth), Joseph Daniel “Scout” Stephens, Sophia Rice, Evangeline Rice, James Rice, Havalah Rice, and Gloria Ruth Frances “Ruthie” Rice; and her nieces and nephew, Jan James Adams (Derek), Ashley Oberlin Walker (Jeff), and Jared Oberlin (Samantha).