RINGSTEAD - BRATTON, Alice Sylvia (Stevie)

The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona Thursday, January 23, 2003 Alice Sylvia (Stevie) Bratton, 86, of Phoenix, Arizona, a feist lady who loved everything about life, struggled briefly with lung cancer, and passed away peacefully at the Coronado House on January 18, 2003 with her loving family and steadfast Hospice nurses at her side. The daughter of George Gibson Stephens and Lolita Hauswirth Stephens, she was born in Lewistown, Montana, on November 22, 1916. She graduated from Powell County High School in Deer Lodge, Montana, in 1935; and from St. Luke's School of Nursing in Spokane, Washington, in 1938; and then embarked upon a long career as a Registered Nurse. She married Arthur Ringstead, now deceased, in the early 1940's, had three daughters, one of them stillborn, and was later divorced. On June 15, 1949, she married Neil Alexander Bratton of Round Butte, Montana, who preceded her in death in 1996, after 47 years of marriage. The couple had two children, a son and daughter. Her parents and a beloved sister, Lois Lolita Cole, also preceded her in death. Stevie will be remembered for her unfaltering devotion to family and love of nature. Her passion was fishing, along with gardening, crafts, and crossword puzzles. She was a good sport, a "real trooper," and a willing and welcomed participant in all family and community activities, be they work or play. She lived her entire life with a childlike wonder and awareness and approached each day with an appreciation of absolutely everything in God's creation. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Sun City, Arizona; the Retired Nurses' Association; and Flathead Lake Chapter #128, Order of Eastern Star, in Bigfork, Montana, where she and her husband, Neil, served concurrent terms as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron. Survivors include her son, Neil A. "Skip" Bratton (Deborah) of Red Lodge, MT; daughters, Loralea Parke (John) of Phoenix, AZ; Lolita Plenger of Bigfork, MT; and Terri Holt (Hans) of Big Canoe, GA; twin stepsons, Richard Bratton (SongYon) of Plentywood, MT; Douglas Bratton (Lolita) of Carmichael, CA; nine grandchildren, Elise and Colin Bratton, Melissa Parke McCusker (William), Jessie Parke Coughlan (Brian), Timothy Parke, Traci Plenger Walker (Jeff), Wendi Plenger Armitage (Larry), Nicole and Travis Holt; three step-grandchildren, Virginia, Laura, and Andrew Bratton; four great-grandchildren, Derek and Kelsey Walker and Mitchell and Lindsey Armitage; several nieces and nephews; and many special friends. Stevie's family gratefully thanks the Beatitudes Campus and Hospice of the Valley/Coronado House for providing loving care and support that permitted their beloved mother and grandmother to experience a beautiful passage filled with compassion and dignity. Stevie's life will be celebrated this summer at a memorial service in Montana - - beside a favorite fishing hole. Interment of the cremated remains of both Alice and Neil will be at Montana State Veterans' Cemetery, Fort Harrison, Montana. Contributions: Hospice of the Valley/Coronado House, 1510 E. Flower Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014; and The Arizona Humane Society, 1521 W. Dobbins Rd., Phx, AZ 85041. Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary handled cremation arrangements; no local services are planned. Online condolences: care@hansenmortuary.com Think of a mitten and a hand or the way tea fills the curve of a teacup. In the same way, there is a place in our lives shaped like you. Courtesy of Pat Wilson.