Mr. Charles Stevens' Obituary
Dr. Charles Turney Stevens, was born July 7, 1926 in Nashville and died on June 29, 2016, also in Nashville. He was only one week away from celebrating his 90th birthday at the time of his death.
He was preceded in death by his wife of almost 67 years, Jeanne Marie Morton Stevens, who died 22 days earlier on June 7, 2016. He was heartbroken by her loss and would never have been able to recover from his grief had God not rejoined them so quickly.
He was also preceded in death by his parents, Duncan Eve Stevens and Nancy Turney Stevens. His is survived by his son, Charles Turney Stevens Jr. (Ann), and daughter, Alice Jeanne Stevens.
He is also survived by grandsons, Charles Turney Stevens III (Jennie) and Mark William Stevens, and great grandson, Charles Turney Stevens IV, all of whom he loved dearly.
He was the great great grandson of a United States Senator, Hopkins L. Turney, and the great grandson of a Tennessee governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice, Peter Turney. An only child, he was born just before the Depression struck and was a product of that most difficult period of the nation's history as well as World War II, each of which left a lifelong legacy with him of faith, frugality, hard work, and humility.
He grew up in the Waverly-Belmont neighborhood, before moving with his parents to the Donelson community as a teenager. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School and attended David Lipscomb College before graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1949. After returning to Nashville, he married and he and his bride bought a struggling drug store in West Nashville in 1951, where they prospered and served the community for more than four decades before retiring.
In addition to his pharmacy, he also owned the Greet and Sweet Shoppe in 100 Oaks Mall, which was the first Hallmark Card shop in Tennessee, and the Nashville Emporium in Hickory Hollow Mall. He developed various real estate projects and invested astutely, focusing on being a real estate owner and manager in retirement.
From 1959, when he and his wife moved to Green Hills, to the time of his death, he was a member of the Granny White Church of Christ where he served as an elder, deacon and Sunday School teacher. He was a former member of the Lakeshore Home for the Aged board of directors. He and his wife supported many ministries and gave generously, although often very quietly, to many in the West Nashville and Green Hills communities as well as elsewhere.
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