Stephanie Lynn Wooten

Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Wooten, 78, of Seattle, WA, crossed over peacefully on September 29, 2025, in Seattle, WA.

Wildly creative and vibrant. Devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend. Born Stephanie Norris on October 22, 1946, in Minneapolis, MN. Stevie's parents, Randy and Ruth Norris met as professional dancers, first as children during the last days of Vaudeville, and later as young adults performing in nightclubs traveling throughout the US. In her youth, her parents would take her and her brother, Jay, traveling all over the Midwest to county fairs for her parents to perform. This ignited a great love for travel and the performing arts, deeply influencing the rest of her life. Stevie graduated in 1963 from St. Louis Park High School in St. Louis Park, Minnesota for which she had fond memories with her best friend Sandy. She quickly went to work in broadcasting, picking up the skills that would help her master speaking to large audiences.

While working in Rapid City, SD, she met her husband, Ed Wooten, and the two married three months later in Deadwood 1967. They moved to Des Moines, IA, and then to American Samoa in the mid-1970s where they established lifelong friendships. This is also where she started her long-standing career in the travel industry, managing to take Pan Am around the world with her husband, Ed. Following their time in American Samoa, they moved to Beaufort, SC and started their family.

In 1983 Ed's job moved them to Seattle, WA. Stevie spent several years helping PBS by using her talents and fabulous speaking ability to fundraise on behalf of Public Television. She was an executive in the travel industry and shared her brilliantly chaotic creativity, sending thousands of people to some of the most remote areas on earth. She was also a dedicated mother, never missing a baseball game, or special event. She was president of West Seattle Little League for several years, going door to door tirelessly raising enough money to allow ALL the players to travel to Yakima, WA for their first ever tournament. It was normal for Stevie to work tirelessly, often having multiple jobs. She also served, unofficially, as "bonus auntie" and confidante to a host of nieces, neighbors, and stray souls who wandered into her orbit. Stevie, a collector of countries, having been to 99, loved travel, meeting new people, hosting large dinners and gatherings. Her ability to engage, laugh, and play was utterly contagious and could stop conversations three tables away. She lived with curiosity, spoke with candor, and believed everyone had the ability to be friends. She was the kind of person who remembered your favorite dessert, your worst haircut, and exactly what you needed to hear when life fell apart. Knowing her master planning abilities and her love for Ed after 58 years together, she decided it was time to scout out their next adventure until they meet again. Though she's no longer here physically, Stevie's presence will long live in all that she provided, including her over abundant Christmas gifts and the countless people she made feel at home in the world. She also never met a cat she didn't like - or feed. Stevie traveled the world with a secret stash of cat food "just in case," and more than one stray feline learned to trust humans because of her kindness.

Stevie is survived by her husband of 58 years, Ed; her children David (Jessica) Anderson, Sean, Ryan (Amber), her five adored grandchildren, Maggie (Emmanuel), Tessa, Noah, Jameson, and Wilder; her brother Jay (Mary), great-grandchild, Arthur, in addition to her beloved Hilbelink Cousins, nieces, and Aunt Mimi Vogel. A celebration of life will be held at a later date and in lieu of flowers, the family asks that you perform a random act of kindness — and tell no one or donate to Best Friends:

Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab UT 84741-5000
Attn: Donor Relations/JS
or by phone: 435-919-3835 option 1

or on the website at: https://bestfriends.org/donate/remembering-an-animal-lover