Hundreds turn out for NH tornado victim
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. --Hundreds of people attended a memorial service Wednesday for 57-year-old Brenda Stevens, who died last week when her Deerfield home was leveled by a tornado.
Stevens was credited with saving the life of her infant grandson, John Paul Stevens.
Family friend Wanda Syphers-Cole gave the eulogy at North Congregational Church in Market Square. Stevens had lived in the Seacoast area for a number of years before moving to Deerfield.
Sypers-Cole said that Stevens had been at the center of so many lives and that she was an easy person to love. On the lighter side, she said Stevens "made the best sandwich on earth" and "had anything you needed in her purse."
The service was attended by Gov. John Lynch, who was holding John Paul -- termed the miracle baby -- afterward.
"Her daughters, Katie and Lisa, do not want their mother eulogized as having been a saint for what she did," said Richard Semprini, Stevens' former husband. "The baby was in reach and she grabbed him. She did what she would have done in any situation. It's who she is."
Donna Mizusawa told a story about going to visit Stevens, only to find her vacuuming up her dog's hair, wearing heels. But she also talked abut the tremendous love the woman had for her family, friends and even for strangers.
"She taught me a lot about being a mom," said Mizusawa. "Her daughters, Lisa and Katie, told me she always knew how to comfort them. She offered that comfort by placing a hand on their foreheads and stroking in just the right way. That's how I comfort my children now, and I'm sure her hand is on all our foreheads today."
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Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com 