Sue Irene Stevenson

Sue Irene-Brown Stevenson was born on January 25, 1941, in West Monroe, Louisiana. She passed away in her home on Thursday, December 20, 2019. She married the love of her life Tommy Stevenson Sr. in 1963, and they moved together from north Louisiana to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Together they had three children whom they loved with all their heart: Tara, Tasha, and Tommy 2. Visitation will be Friday, December 27, 2019 at Charlet Funeral Home, Inc. Zachary, LA from 9:00 am until service at 11:00 am. Burial will immediately follow at Azalea Rest Cemetery, Zachary, LA. Sue (Sue B Doo, Mama, Mawmaw) was the epitome of poise, strength, and wisdom. She was truly a lady who, though tough as nails, never failed to be elegant. She was as beautiful on the outside as she was on the inside, but she was incredibly humble. This beauty was evidenced early on in her life when once while she was walking down the street in West Monroe, a man was gawking at her and walked into a pole. Sue was a devoted educator for 36 years before she retired. Teaching was her life’s passion. She graduated in 1965 from NLU with a B.S. in Elementary Education. While she was working full-time and raising three children, she got her Master of Education in 1976 from LSU. This passion for educating was one that she shared with her eldest daughter Tara and her second eldest granddaughter Kelsey who both followed in Sue’s footsteps and became teachers. One of her talents was her ability to silence someone, whether it be a student, grandchild, child, or her husband, with only the raising of an eyebrow and a stern facial expression. She is survived by her daughter Tara and her husband Mike Alleman, her daughter Tasha and her husband Jacob Carty, and her son Thomas W. Stevenson Jr. and his wife Melissa. She also survived by seven grandchildren Thomas W. Stevenson III, and Katie and Kelsey Stevenson; Kaylin, Michael and Kevin Alleman, and Lilly Carty. She also survived by her sister Linda Oswalt. She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 56 years. Growing up with my cousins, Mawmaw was the person our childhood seemed to revolve around as most of our memories involve her. In particular, we have several memories of Mawmaw locking us out of the house in the summer and forcing us to play in the yard. Those memories of summer, the smell of coffee being made (at any given point during the day), and the noise her rocking chair made when she rocked in it are small details that speak to the extent that she is engrained into who we are. Her lifelessons she left with us are more obvious reminders of her impact on all of us. For instance, my inability to keep my mouth shut as a child caused Mawmaw to often raise an eyebrow at me and say, “A wise woman knows when to bite her tongue, Kaylin.” Given that my opinionated nature has not changed, Mawmaw’s warning to think before I speak is one of the many voices that echoes in my head every single day. In my life I have been blessed with several amazing role models, and there have been many times when these larger-than-life people have held me together when my world seemed to be crashing down around me. After living with her for the past year, Mawmaw without a doubt held me together more times than I can count. Sue was one-half of a love story that gave all of us unrealistic expectations for relationships. She was always calm and careful with her words until Pawpaw managed to push her buttons in a way that only he could. Then, she would shoot him a look, raise an eyebrow and scold him saying, “Tommy, that is enough.” Even when I was a child, I thought it was funny that he was the only person who could get that reaction out of her, and I could tell how much he enjoyed doing it because he would always chuckle and grin at us after. I know how much it pained her to be here without him. She always told me that as much as I thought she took care of him; he is the one who took care of her. “I don’t know what I am going to do without him,” she would say. No doubt she already has given him that warning look of hers a few times, but there is comfort in knowing they are reunited. Waiting for his girl on the other side alongside Jesus, Pawpaw welcomed her, armed with a cup of coffee and a goofy grin.