Stephen "Steve" Arnold Jefferson

A funeral mass celebrating the life of Stephen Arnold Jefferson, 79, of Monroe, LA will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, October 14, 2023, at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Monroe, LA with the Rev. Joe Martina officiating. Private family interment will be held at a later date at NE Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetery in Rayville, LA under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home in Monroe, LA. Visitation will be Saturday from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. at the St. Matthew Catholic Church Community Center preceding the funeral mass.

Mr. Jefferson died October 11, 2023, surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with cancer. Steve was a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church. He was a lifelong resident of Monroe, LA born on February 12, 1944, to parents Mary Winn Jefferson and Thomas R. Jefferson. He attended Georgia Tucker Elementary, Lee Junior High (NJH) and Neville High School. He graduated from NE Louisiana State College (ULM) in 1966, spent 2 years in the US Army and was stationed in Korea for 13 months. Steve went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law School in 1972 and was a member of the Texas State Bar and the Louisiana Bar, practicing law in Monroe for 47 years. He was a faithful member of his men’s prayer group meeting every Thursday. He loved being with this group of faithful men to get closer to Christ, our Lord.

Steve was an avid duck hunter and fisherman. He was also a staunch supporter of his Neville Tigers in football, baseball, and all NHS sports. He also supported the NE Indians/Warhawks as well as the LSU Tigers. He was a lifelong Chicago Bears fan and a White Sox fan due to his father, Thomas’ love of his hometown teams. He was devoted to his family and spent his most wonderful moments in the company of his 5 beautiful granddaughters. Steve was a determined lawyer and he cared for his clients and their cases as in his sacred trust.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Tom Jefferson; his brother, Rev. Lee Jefferson; and grandparents, Dorothy and Thomas Jefferson and Rebecca & Alfred Moak. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dana Tucker Jefferson; children, Nici Hanks and husband Woody, Becca Mooney and husband Shane, Stephen Tucker Jefferson and wife Samantha; sister, Lila Jefferson; brother, Wynn Jefferson and wife Marilyn; and his grandchildren, Sarah Beth Shipp (20), Mary Carter Shipp (17), Maeve Mooney (10), Meryl Mooney (7) and Rosalie Jefferson (3).

Steve had a multitude of wonderful friends through the years. His honorary pall bearers are Dickie Culpepper, Fred Moses, Fred Amman, Keith Hanchey, Wally McMakin, Judge Jeff Joyce, Fred Hill, John Rea, P.J. Turpin, Travis Oliver, Jr., Stewart Oliver, Kevin Hopper, Phil Watson, Joe Farr, Stephen Ethridge, Thomas Harvey, Terrall Woods, Dr. Mark Dollar, and Larry Rogers.

We would like to give our sincere thanks for the care of Steve during his illness to Dr. Sanjay Juneja and his staff at the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, and to our special friend, Shannon Newton and St. Joseph Hospice and nurse Phillip Myers. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Steve Jefferson Scholarship Fund through NAFA.