Phyllis Lu Love-Stevens was born in Bristow, Oklahoma, June 9th, 1937, the only child of Phil Monroe Love and Winnifred (McGowan) Love. She attended school in Bristow & later Cushing OK where she met Don Newberry in 1953. They were married and had three children: D'Jeanne Patricia in 1955, Nancy Lu in 1958, & Phil Patrick in 1968. She lived with her family for many years in southern California, returning to Cushing in 1972, where she owned & operated the local Hallmark shop in the mid-70's. She divorced Don in 1980 and was employed in the OSU personnel department where she met Gerald "Gary" Stevens. They married in 1982 and spent many happy years together at Cedar Hills Farm in Perkins, later, in Stillwater, & at their cabin on Lake Eufaula where she created beautiful stained glass art and worked with a literacy foundation. They moved to Cushing in 2004.

All her life she was a voracious reader of fiction; she read an enormous and incalculable number of mysteries, thrillers, action and romance novels and she continued to read at least 7 books a week until the last few months of her life. In her later years, Phyllis was very spiritual. She was accepted into Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Cushing in 2006 and often attended silent worship with the Quakers of the Oklahoma City Friends Meeting.

She left this world early in the morning, Saturday, December 21st, 2024, preceded by her parents and husband. She is survived by her three children and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, & great-great grandchildren.