11/25/1937 – 11/28/2024
Lawrence, KS
Rev Dr. Paul Wateson Stevens was born on November 25, 1937 in Fulton MS, the son of Keither Zeltra Stevens and Hilda Rose Pullen Stevens. He passed away on Thanksgiving November 28, 2024.
As a young child he lived in Winnfield and Reform Alabama before moving to Columbus MS where his father was the pastor of East End Baptist and Calvary Baptist Churches. He felt the call to ministry at a young age becoming ordained at age 18. As a college freshman, he began a lifetime commitment of traveling each weekend to do supply preaching; he graduated from Mississippi College in 1960 with a Bachelor in English. After college, he moved to New Orleans LA to study theology at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS), receiving a Bachelor of Divinity in 1964 and a Doctor of Theology in 1972. After receiving his ThD, he joined the faculty at NOBTS as Director of the Field Education program and Vice President of Student Affairs from 1973 -1982. He left NOBTS in 1982 to be a fulltime minister at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Jackson MS. In 1988, he moved to Fort Worth TX to join the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) as Director of Field Education and the Associate Dean for the Doctor of Ministry Degree.
While attending Mississippi College, he met Glenda Fay Bailey Stevens of Brookhaven MS at a rainy football game. They fell in love and enjoyed 48 years of marriage. After retiring from SWBTS in 2003, he and Glenda moved to Lawrence KS to be near their daughter, and he became a faculty member at Central Baptist Seminary Shawnee KS as Director of Doctor of Ministry and Professor of Contextual Education. After the passing of Glenda in 2007, he was blessed to fall in love again, with Theresia (Terri) Weber Stevens. They were married on May 21, 2016.
For his whole life, he would travel on the weekends to do supply preaching at churches in MS, LA, TX, MO, and KS. One of his children would travel with him and these weekend trips created special memories of togetherness. He loved to fish, loved to read and work on his cars. One fond memory is how we could call him from anywhere and he could diagnose what was wrong with our cars. Later in life, he became a wonderful furniture maker and pen maker.
Survivors include his wife, Terri Stevens, son and daughter-in-law, Rev. Dr. Andrew W. and Jennie L. Stevens of Taylors SC; and daughter and son-in-law Dr. Pippa S. and Davis P. Loupe of New Orleans LA; step-daughter and son-in-law Traci and Jim Wilson of Lawrence KS; sister and brother-in-law, Martha (Marty) and Keith Umfress of Columbus MS. He was proceeded in death by his wife Glenda, and by his parents, brother Mark Stevens and sister Mary Castleberry of Columbus MS. He was a loving grandfather to his six grandchildren, Benjamin, Brynna, Linnea, and Micah Stevens; Eddie and Paul Loupe; and great-grandfather to Ian, Bella, Carson, Asher, Jax, Selina and Lucy.
On Saturday December 7 2024, a visitation 12 to 2pm and a memorial service at 2pm will be held at the Brookhaven Funeral Home, 894 Natchez Drive Brookhaven MS. The family suggests memorials may be sent in support of the Salvation Army and Baptist Disaster Relief.
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