Mary Elizabeth Durrett, who often went by Liz or Lizzie, was born August 20, 1927 in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Walter E. and Minnie Mae Peyton Durett. She graduated from Central High School in Memphis, Tennessee and studied at the Juilliard Institute of Music in New York, under Virgil Fox. She received a bachelor's degree in music from the University of North Texas, where she studied under Silvio Scionti. She also earned a masters degree in music at the University of Kansas in 1971.

Stephens held multiple choir director, pianist, and organist positions at churches in and near Victoria, Texas and Lawrence, Kansas, as well as holding instructorship positions in piano and organ at Victoria College and teaching private lessons in her studio. She was also the choir director at the Vernon Texas Music Club. After moving to Lawrence, KS in 1968, Stephens held the position of organist at Trinity Episcopal Church for close to 40 years.

Stephens earned her service-playing certificate and was a member of the American Guild of Organists; a charter member of the Phi Tau chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity; a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, an honorary music fraternity; and held memberships in the Association of Anglican Musicians, Lawrence Music Club, and the Peyton Society.

She married William James Stephens on November 19, 1946, and they raised 5 children: William James III, Guy W., Cecily, Shirley Stephens-Mock, and Amy (Stephens) Monroy. "Bill" J. Stephens was born June 28, 1924 in Jacksonville, Texas, the son of William James and Ruth Elizabeth (Stoker) Stephens. After graduating from Jacksonville High School and serving in the Navy as a gunner's mate second class in the Pacific during World War II, he completed a bachelors in music, concentrating in organ performance, from the University of North Texas in 1949. He later studied at the University of Colorado and served as an assistant instructor in organ there.

Stephens taught public school music classes in south Texas and was the organist-choirmaster at Trinity Lutheran Church in Victoria, Texas. In 1968, after the family moved to Lawrence, Stephens worked for the Reuter Organ Company, installing pipe organs in 49 states and retiring from the company after 40 years.

William James Stephens died December 16, 2008. Elizabeth Stephens died May 19, 2011, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

[Information obtained from Elizabeth Stephens' obituary on the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home website, Lawrence, Kansas, accessed April 10, 2018; and from William J. Stephen's obituary on findagrave.com, accessed March 9, 2020.]