Patricia (Patty) Stephenson, 79, of Gulf Breeze, FL, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 29, 2024, surrounded by her family and friends.

She leaves her children, Christina Hankins (Mark), Matt Bond (Jason Boutwell), Tyler Bond (Whitney), and Cameron Stephenson; a grandson, Patrick (Rick) Williams; brother, Kay Stephenson, and sisters, Mary Jac Stephenson and Sylvia Marling; as well as nieces, great-nieces and nephews; and close friends to whom she was so very special. She is preceded in death by her dear husband, Wayne Stephenson; her parents, Ogle and Florence Miller, and sisters, Evelyn Miller, Jewell Rossen, Arlene Poe, and Shirley Almond.

Patty was born in Anna, Illinois in 1944 and grew up in Wolf Lake, Illinois. She graduated from Shawnee High School where she met and married her first love, David Field. Together they moved to Alton, IL, where she attended Kitzmiller Beauty College and added their daughter, Christi, to their young family. In 1969, they moved to Tallahassee, Florida, where she launched her cosmetology career at J. Byrons Hair Salon and met her lifelong friends, Ann Hughes and Charise Kraemer. In the early 1970s, she opened The Parlor with another dear friend, John Miller. These "friends who were family" spent a lifetime together raising their families and supporting each other through good times and bad.

In the late 1970s, she married Richard Bond, from which she was blessed with the opportunity to help raise two boys, Matt and Tyler, who she "couldn't have loved more if she had birthed them." During this time, she opened Cosmo 80 Hair Salon where she met and mentored a future business partner, Christine Taylor. In 1986 they moved to Springfield, IL and eventually Indianapolis.

In the early 1990s, Patty moved to Gulf Breeze, Florida where she rekindled her relationship with the love of her life, Wayne Stephenson, and was blessed with the opportunity to help raise another young man, Cameron, who she adored. In the late 1990s, they purchased a home on Bunker Creek, in Walton County, Florida, where she spent many nights around the fire with friends and cooking meals including her most frequently requested, homemade fries.

In 1999, she welcomed her grandson, Rick Williams, with whom she spent a wonderful amount of time and had a special bond, rarely missing a sporting event and always welcoming a visit. She was the best "Grie" ever.

During her time in Gulf Breeze, she opened Changes Hair Salon eventually partnering with Christine Taylor to open additional locations in Fort Walton and Tallahassee. At Changes she met her "bonus daughter" Darlene (Knott) Graham and dear friend Judy English, who she partnered with to open PaJu'da.

Patty was an amazing wife, mom, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, hairdresser, business woman, and mentor who positively impacted more lives than can be counted.

To know Patty was to know how big she loved life and loved others. She was the most fun, sparkly person in the room, and the life of the party. She would never turn down the opportunity to bring people together and dance to her favorite songs. Her daughter, Christi, carries on that legacy of gathering friends and family to celebrate life's events, big and small. She was generous, glamorous, and had a great vision for gathering those that she loved most. She will be missed immensely, and her family will continue loving as big as she did.

We are grateful to the staff, residents, and families at The Beehive of Gulf Breeze for making her last years comfortable, fun, and for loving her so much.

The visitation will be held at 1:00pm at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel with the Funeral Service following at 2:00pm. Chaplain Ken Griffin officiating. Burial will follow at Bayview Memorial Park.

Click this link to view additional details about Patricia's Services, including any available live streams: https://my.gather.app/remember/patricia-stephenson