Memorial service for Amber Stephens will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday, July 26, 2024 at Dayspring Community Church in Lawton with Pastor Robert Smith officiating.  Viewing will begin at 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 23, 2024 and the family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home that same day

The memorial service will be livestreamed via Dayspring Community Church's Facebook page.

Amber Melissa Stephens, 44, of Lawton, Oklahoma, passed away in peace and comfort on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at her home in Lawton following a brief and turbulent fight with advanced cancer.  Amber was born November 25, 1979 in Stockton, California, to John and Carol (Quarles) Cost.  She graduated from Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1998 and from Eastern New Mexico University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education.  She worked briefly as a K-8 teacher in both public and private schools in New Mexico.

On January 3, 2004 Amber married Timothy Stephens in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Their family grew quickly with the arrival of a daughter and three sons from November 2004 to February 2009.  Amber elected to stay home and raise her children instead of returning to work, and as they reached school age she committed herself to becoming their full-time homeschool teacher.  As a dedicated wife Amber supported family relocations to Iowa and Oklahoma for her husband's career in public service, always engaging with each new community quickly and deeply.  She served in homeschool organizations as a co-op teacher and activities coordinator.  Amber served as a planner and general volunteer for many years with the local Heritage Girls troop in Lawton.  She was active in every church she attended, serving at various and sometimes-overlapping times as a nursery volunteer, Sunday-school teacher, women's ministry coordinator, and a deacon's wife.   Amber enjoyed and kept several beautiful homes for her family, transforming them each day into functioning education centers and back again into places of rest and refuge.  She worked from time-to-time as a private house cleaner, establishing her own local business in 2020 to serve the Lawton community and help provide for her family.  When that initiative conflicted with her homeschool efforts she decided to close the business and return her full attention to education, leading her children to successes that include a National Merit Scholar award along with many academic scholarships to various universities.

Amber loved the outdoors, be it a day-trip for a simple hike or an extended camping vacation with even more hiking, sight-seeing, and communing with God in open spaces.  She treasured her faith and instilled it in her children while sharing it openly and honestly with anyone that asked.  When the day's work granted her a bit of leisure Amber could usually be found in her recliner with a book, which is where her children often sought her for advice and comfort.  In recent years she built raised beds for vegetable gardening, where she enjoyed providing and preserving fresh food for her family.  She preferred a humble and simple way of life, never pursuing earthly treasure above her family or adornment beyond what was customary to honor those around her.  Amber loved and respected her husband, honoring him in her heart and in the hearing of others.  Her straightforward practicality was treasured by her friends, and her laugh and smile were always a source of joy to her family.  Amber shared hard-earned wisdom freely.  She made friends carefully and deeply.  She loved and served God faithfully and without reservation, yielding her work only when she was directed to rest.  Amber was courageous in the face of disease and diligent in obeying God's Word with everything that she said and did.  She will be deeply missed.

One of Amber's favorite passages of Scripture was,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Amber is survived by her husband, daughter, Kaitlyn, and sons, Jacob, Isaac, and Matthew, of the home; her mother Carol Kelley of Tijeras, New Mexico; her sister Allison Cost and husband, Jovis DePognon, of New York City; her sister Crystal Merkel and husband, Chris, of Tuscon, Arizona; her sister Isabella Kelley of Albuquerque, NM; and her brother Joshua Kelley of Albuquerque, New Mexico.