Rose Stevens, Formerly Of Hampton Bays, Dies July 25

Rose Stevens of Clermont, Florida, and formerly of Hampton Bays, died on July 25 in Clermont. She was 74.

She was born on June 15, 1948, in Hampton Bays, to Richard L. Miller Sr. and Elizabeth (Downs) Miller.

She attended Hampton Bays High School. She worked as a waitress and bartender in various establishments on Long Island’s South Shore for more than 30 years. She moved to Florida in 2003 and finished her professional career as a clerk for the U.S. Postal Service in Hobe Sound, Florida.

She married Ira Stevens, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Southampton Town Police officer on November 1, 1978, in East Quogue.

She was best known for her outgoing nature, self-reliance and sharp tongue, her family said. She was an avid collector of pins and sported several hats covered with pins which prompted many to label her “the pin lady.” She will be missed by her siblings, her many nieces and nephews and her favorite group of seniors from the Taft-Vineland Community Center of Taft, Florida, which she loved dearly.

She is survived by her two sons, Peter F. Smith of Orlando, Florida, and Eric C. Smith of Jensen Beach, Forida; her brothers, Richard L. Miller Jr., David Michael Miller, Fredrick W. Miller; and her sisters, Althea Phillips and Joann Caulton. She was predeceased by her father and mother, Richard Miller Sr. and Elizabeth Miller; her spouse, Ira Stevens; and her sister, Virginia Rogers.

No public service will be held. Memorial donations can be made in Rose’s name to any cancer research foundation.