EVELYN JOAN SCHLECHT STEPHENS

Evelyn Joan “E.J.” (Schlecht) Stephens, a longtime Tulsa area resident, passed away May 12, 2025. She was born on February 26, 1935, at Morningside Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was the daughter of Ernest Joseph and Coletha Agatha (Stepzinski) Schlecht. She graduated from Fayetteville High School in 1952, and married Roy Lee Stephens on May 27, 1955, in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Roy worked at OTASCO, as did her dad, Ernest.

Evelyn and Roy had five children, and as he moved up in the company, they moved to the next city as he moved into the next position. Evelyn made a home for her family in Bartlesville, OK; Salina, KS; Rome, GA; Decatur, GA; Tulsa; and Little Rock, AR, and eventually settled in Sapulpa, OK.

Evelyn had a love of theater and the arts and served as stage manager for school productions during her high school years. And she was pen pals with actress Betty Grable, who encouraged her to maintain that love.

With a varied taste in music, she amassed quite an album collection, ranging from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass to Frank Sinatra to Ray Stevens to show tunes box sets and more. Later she enjoyed going to shows of all kinds and had the pleasure of going backstage and meeting music and TV stars such as Carol Burnett, Debbie Reynolds, Sammy Davis Jr., Phyllis Diller, Vincent Price, Eric Braeden, and Elvis. She also loved to dance, was a regular at some of the senior dances in the area and went on several dance cruises. And she enjoyed taking trips to Branson, MO and enjoying all the music and stage shows there. She also loved taking pictures, and most of her kids now enjoy that same passion. Some of her favorite TV shows were “The Young & The Restless”, “The Unexplained” with William Shatner, “The Twilight Zone”, “Mom”, and “Dancing with the Stars”. She also enjoyed watching the old movie channel.

Evelyn worked in various capacities through the years. She was the bookkeeper at Southwest Irrigation in Tulsa, and she served as secretary at several area churches. She also worked at the Sapulpa Public Library.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Roy. Survivors include her brother Larry Schlecht (Karen) of Derby, KS, sons David Stephens and Ernest Jeffrey “Jeff” Stephens both of Tulsa, Michael Stephens of Dallas, TX, daughters Suzie Moore (Phil) of Claremore, OK, Nancy "Sunny" Stephens of Nashville, TN, nieces and a nephew, as well as grandchildren, step-grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She also leaves behind several longtime dear friends, Rita Anich, and Rosa Saltzberg.

The family greatly appreciates all the staff members who took care of her at Franciscan Villa, as well as the Cura Hospice staff.

Visitation with the family is set for 2:00-4:00 pm on Tuesday, May 20. Private family services will be held at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of other remembrances, friends can donate to the charity of their choice in her name.