Funeral services for Oteka “Teka” Stevens, 76, of Rogers, NM will be at 10:00 AM, Thurs., Nov. 8, 2018 at the Dora Church of Christ with Merle Roehr officiating. Burial will follow in the Mt. Zion Cemetery with Barry Hays, Eldon Merrick, Mickey Burkett, Jimmy Stevens, Darrell Clifton and Randy Lieb serving as pallbearers. All of her other many friends were honorary pallbearers. The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Wed. afternoon from 2 to 6 PM.
Oteka Stevens, known to all of her family and friends as “Teka” was born June 10, 1942 in Tucumcari, NM to the home of Altha Mae (Justus) and Lindsay “Smitty” Smith and died at her home in Rogers on Nov. 5, 2018. Teka grew up in El Paso, TX where she graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1960. She went on to study at UTEP where she graduated with a degree in Elementary Education in 1964. On Nov. 23, 1961 in El Paso she was married to T. J. Stevens. She taught Government at Ysletta High School for a short time before the Army transferred them to Europe. They were transferred a number of times over the next several years, and Teka managed to teach for ten years before finally going home to rear her daughter and son.
In 1977, her husband was transferred to Virginia where they lived until 1993, and then spent two years in New Hampshire before coming to Rogers in 1995. Teka was a faithful member of the Dora Church of Christ where she taught the Ladies’ Bible Class, and various children’s classes. For over 20 years she served as an election judge in Dora. In addition she was a member of the Causey Homemaker’s Club, and had served as president. Teka loved animals of all kinds. She was especially fond of horses and dogs. Teka was a loving and devoted wife and mother, and an adoring grandmother.
She is survived by T.J. Stevens, her husband of 57 years; a son and daughter-in-law, James and Tiffany Stevens of Richmond, VA; a daughter and son-in-law, Lisa (Stevens) and Wyatt Sheppard of Chesterfield, VA; four grandsons, A.J. and Austin Masini and Cash and Sawyer Stevens; and three sisters, Kay Palyu and Beverly Bombach both of El Paso, TX and Sharon Jennings of Lake Havasu, AZ. She was preceded in death by both of her parents.
