Georgia Curtis Stevens, 98, passed away on October 21, 2023. She was the beloved wife of Gerald Gage Stevens for 55 years until his death in 2007. Georgia lived in Wethersfield for 45 years before moving to Newington and ultimately Avery Heights moved August 2022. All will miss her gentle banter and humor, her ability to see the best in everyone, and her unwavering kindness.
Georgia was born at home in Orange, CT to George Midwood and Mabel Bartlett Curtis. She attended Orange Center School and then Hillhouse High School in New Haven. She remembered waiting for the bus after school during World War II and hearing the Glenn Miller Orchestra play as it marched through the streets around Yale University. She attended New Haven State Teachers College and was one of the students who successfully petitioned the state legislature for land for a growing campus at what is now Southern Connecticut State University. Georgia earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and returned to Orange to teach first grade. She first saw her future husband at the badminton league on Sunday when Gerry slid across the floor to hit a shot. A little over a year later they married. After retiring from teaching to raise her family, Georgia taught Sunday school at Trinity Church (Wethersfield) for over 35 years. By the time she retired, she had taught several of her original students’ children, including her own grandson.
Whether she was enjoying a root beer float, getting her hair done, or feasting on a bouquet of home-grown flowers, Georgia had the rare ability to see the wonder in many areas of life that others missed – a quality that who their children value and try to emulate. For many years, she and Gerry worked as a team to solve the weekly crossword puzzle, an activity usually accompanied by laughter and one of Gerry’s occasionally deadly cocktails. She created beautiful gardens in her backyard, carefully selecting and caring for each variety. She excelled at crafts: she made wreaths, centerpieces and her signature dried flower arrangements. She loved music and shared that love with her family whether they liked it or not, including Broadway cast albums and carols on Christmas Eve. An avid reader, Georgia frequently visited her local library, with these visits usually preceded by the sentence, “I realized I don’t know anything about…”. In a single stack of books, the topic might include the mid-century construction of the Suez Canal, Glass and their own genealogy, as well as the latest mystery series.
Georgia will be sadly missed by her daughter Pamela of Windsor; her son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Diane of Newington; her daughter, Hillary of Wethersfield; her daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law Antione Harris of Springfield, VA; and her son Philip and daughter-in-law Dana of Philadelphia, PA. She is also survived by five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Georgia Life will be held on Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Trinity Church, 300 Main Street, Wethersfield. Burial will be in Orange Center Cemetery at the convenience of the family. There will be no consultation hours. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Africa Education Partnership (https://www.africaep.org/) or the Bishops Fund for Children (https://www.campwashington.org/bfc). The family would like to thank M&H Elderly Care and especially Ama for the loving care they provided to Georgia during the last year of her life. Thank you also to the staff and residents of The Heights at Avery Heights; We will miss the warm greetings we received on every visit.
Duksa Family Funeral Home at Newington Memorial, 20 Bonair Ave., Newington is assisting with arrangements. To express condolences to her family, please visit www.duksa.net.
Published by Hartford Courant on November 19, 2023.
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