August 28, 1924 - December 21, 2009
Velma Jo "Stevie" O'Roarke Obituary
(Age 85)
Velma Jo ?Stevie? O?Roarke died peacefully on December 21st at Holy Family Hospital in Spokane after a short illness. Stevie was born on August 28, 1924 in Baldwin County, Alabama. Her parents, Fred and Clemie Stephens, raised their eight children on a small farm near Atmore, Alabama. After graduating from Escambia County High School in 1942, Stevie moved to Columbus, Georgia, where she met Elwood Cress ?Woody? Carter, who was stationed at nearby Ft. Benning. Woody, a native of Spokane, was a graduate of North Central High School and Washington State University. Stevie and Woody were married in 1944 and moved to Spokane in 1946. Although she never forgot her Southern roots, Stevie became an active participant in Northwest life. She helped Woody?s parents, Sallie and Albert Carter, build and maintain one of the early cabins on Priest Lake, and under Albert?s expert instruction, became an accomplished fisherwoman. She loved Priest Lake and the wild woods of northern Idaho and taught her children to boat, water ski, camp, and gather huckleberries. She and Woody learned to snow ski in the early 1950s, and spent many winters with their family on the slopes. Stevie also became an avid golfer, first at Manito Country Club and later at the Spokane Country Club. Stevie?s many friends included members of her investment club, bridge group, and mushrooming group. She was a longtime member of Plymouth Congregational Church. After Woody died in 1977, Stevie met Joe O?Roarke, to whom she was married for 17 years. After Joe died, Stevie took up volunteer work, serving as an ambassador for the Goodwill Games and as an ombudsman for long-term care facilities. In 2003 she married Jim Smith, who died in October. Stevie is survived by her three children, Terri Brown of Spokane, Vicki Richter of Diamond Lake, and Cress Carter of Denver; by her sister Ruth Young of Martinsville, VA; and by five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held at Heritage Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 30 at 3:00 pm, followed by a reception.
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