Lena "Joan" Goad Stephens

We lost our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend and wonderfully amazing woman. Lena Joan Goad Stephens, at the age of 82, was called home to our Heavenly Father on January 1, 2024, in West Jordan, Utah. She was born October 9, 1941, in Morehouse, Missouri to Clyde Evans Goad and Cynthia Ann Spurlin Goad. She married Hafford Eddie Stephens on July 3, 1958, in West Memphis, Arkansas. Together they raised five children.

During her youth, she learned how to work hard. She started cooking at the age of seven for the family while her parents were at work. As a teenager, she worked in the cotton fields with her dad and at a small grocery store her mom managed. She also had to go home many days to cook dinner for her family, clean up afterward, pump water and bring in wood for the cook-stove. She attended schools in West Memphis and Marion, Arkansas. She played basketball in high school.

Joan met Eddie while at a gathering with her friends at their Grandma’s Cissell’s house. She said the first time she met him she told her friend she was going to marry him. They dated during her sophomore year and his senior year. He was in the Arkansas National Guard during that year, so a month after his graduation they were married. The following year, they started their family. During those early years while he worked and was serving in the Reserves, she was raising the family. She sewed most of the clothes the family wore, she cooked all the meals from scratch and she had huge gardens she took care of every year. She served as President of the PTA, chaired fundraising drives for education and charities and was responsible for obtaining Federal Funding to start school sponsored kindergartens in Eastern Arkansas.

On July 1, 1977, the family arrived in the Salt Lake valley and moved to Taylorsville. Eager and excited to start this new adventure with hopes of providing a better life for their children, she began working right away as a housekeeper at a motel. This was the start of her career in housekeeping. However, during those early years in Utah, she also ran two concession stands at baseball fields, worked at a department store, a bank, a café and a bakery in a grocery store.

1985 Joan & Eddie moved to Texas. She went to work for Comfort Inn and worked there for the six years they lived in El Paso. She served as Personnel Director, Executive Housekeeper, Purchasing Agent, Front Desk Manager and Assistant Manager. After returning to Utah in 1991, she continued to work in the hotel industry for many years as an Executive Housekeeper and General Manager.

Joan and Eddie joined the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on December 22, 1962, in the Minot Branch, in Minot, North Dakota. The family was sealed together for time and all eternity in the Washington DC Temple on March 28, 1975. Joan was very active in the church everywhere they lived. She served as a Seminary Teacher, and taught in Sunday School, Primary and Relief Society. She served as Young Women’s President, Stake Athletic Director, Scouting and Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness. However, the calling she loved most was serving with Eddie as Ward Temple and Family History Leaders. They loved working together sharing the gospel, helping families prepare for the temple and teaching others how to work on their Genealogy. Her relationships built in the church were strong and lasted for so many years.

Joan loved cooking, gardening, sewing, crafts, genealogy and spending time with the family. She devoted a lot of love and support to her husband while he worked full time and served over 30 years in the Army and Navy Reserves, served as Branch President of the West Memphis LDS branch, and various other callings. She was such a great support to her children and always helping whenever she could. She loved having her grandchildren around, cooking with them, taking them camping, letting them stay during vacations and school breaks and spoiling them. She loved holidays with the family, whether it was at her home or traveling to their homes to spend time with them. She was such an incredible mom and grandmother and would do anything for her family. Joan faced many health challenges through the years, yet her strength to persevere was fierce and mighty. She is now reunited with her husband, Eddie, who she so dearly missed these last 10 months. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her. She will be in our hearts until we see her again.

Joan is survived by her five children Steve and Ileana Stephens, Rita Matsamas, Michael & Jody Stephens, Amanda Hahn and Evan and Tiffany Stephens, 28 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Hafford Eddie Stephens; her father, Clyde Evans Goad; her mother, Cynthia Ann Spurlin Goad; sister, Mary A Goad; half-sisters, Ruth M Goad and Bernice Goad Piwowarczyk; and half-brothers, Leroy A Goad, Clyde E Goad Jr and Otis E Stafford. We welcome all to attend the services. For those who are unable to attend, you are welcome to join us via live stream of the funeral services.

For those who would like to send flower arrangements, please send them to the Memorial Murray Mortuary, 5850 South 900 East, Murray, Utah 84121.