Louise W. Stevens, 85
SHEFFIELD — Louise W. Stevens, 85, of Egremont-Sheffield Road died Friday, Aug. 15, 2008, at Great Barrington Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after a long illness.
Born in Albany, N.Y., on Aug. 15, 1923, the daughter of Dr. Frank J. Williams and Mary Williams, she attended St. Agnes' School in Albany and graduated from St. Mary's High School in Peekskill, N.Y., and, in 1943, from Centenary College in Hackettstown, N.J. She moved to Stockbridge in 1947 and to Sheffield in 1974.
A talented seamstress, Mrs. Stevens developed her love of making dolls into a worldwide mail-order business called The Little Doll House. She became a recognized doll maker by having her doll listed in Harrad's Price Guide for American Made Dolls. She had a large collection of antique dolls and miniatures in a shop in her home for many years. She also was a longtime member of the Shaker Doll Club.
Primarily a homemaker, she enjoyed raising her family, and will be lovingly remembered for her gracious and gentle spirit. She was an active member of Christ Church Episcopal, serving in the Altar Guild and the vestry and singing in the choir. She also contributed handmade crafts to the church fair every year and was a member of the Thursday Morning Club
Her husband, Dr. Richard M. Stevens, whom she married on April 6, 1943, in Albany, died in 1997. Dr. Stevens had practiced dentistry in Stockbridge for many years.
She leaves her son, Richard W. Stevens of Great Barrington; four daughters, Mary Agnes Allen and her husband, Warren, of Irvine, Calif., Katherine Stevens of Santa Rosa, Calif., Eleanor Neumuth of Jacksonville, Fla., and Rebecca Batacchi and her husband, Arthur Batacchi Jr., of Sheffield; a brother Frank J. Williams Jr. of Altamont, N.Y., and his wife, Marjorie; six grandchildren, Lucien Allen, Genevieve, Amy and Otto Neumuth, Alexis Batacchi and Rachele Bonhotel and her husband, Jason; a great-grandson, Jesse Bonhotel; three nieces and nephews, Frank, Frederick and Carrie Williams, and two grandnieces.
She was predeceased by another son, John W. Stevens, in 1993.
FUNERAL NOTICE — Funeral services celebrating the life of Louise W. Stevens will be conducted on Monday, Aug. 18, at 1:30 p.m. at Christ Church Episcopal in Sheffield by the Rev. Susan Crampton. Burial will follow in Sheffield Center Cemetery.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, Aug. 17, from 5 to 7 at Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home in Great Barrington.
Memorial donations may be made to the Thursday Morning Club or HospiceCare in the Berkshires through funeral home, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.finnertyandstevens.com.