Sunny Stevens

Ruth Corinne “Sunny” Stevens, 75, of Ball Ground, GA, died peacefully Sunday, October 2, 2022, after a courageous battle with breast cancer.

 

She was preceded in death by her parents Ruth Fecker Stevens and Frederic Earl Stevens Jr., brother Walter Fecker Stevens and sister Ann Stevens Pilkington.

 

She is survived by her devoted brother Fred Stevens of Decatur, GA, nephews and nieces Chuck (Sharon) Stevens of Fairhope, AL, George (Dana) Pilkington of Apex, NC, Shelley Stevens of Athens, OH, Marie (Mike) Hommel of San Marcos, CA, David (Lisa) Stevens of Montgomery, AL, and Emily Drabik-Stevens of Augusta, GA, as well as many great-nephews and -nieces. She will be dearly missed by many close friends who were family to her. She also leaves behind “the kids,” Nemo and Sierra, her beloved Jack Russell terriers.

 

Sunny was born in Atlanta to Ruth and Fred Stevens. She developed a lifelong love of horses when older sister, Ann, discovered the sport. Sunny began to ride when she was eight and earned her A rating from the Atlanta Pony Club in 1964. With Ann, she founded Stevehaven Stables in the late 1960s. Although Ann would leave the business, Sunny would go on to train hundreds of riders and instructors for more than 50 years at Stevehaven with its signature navy and baby blue colors. She dedicated her life to the equestrian sport and its development in the Atlanta area.

 

Sunny was a founding member of the Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) in 1973. She served continuously on the GHJA board of directors and served as its President for two terms. Through her work there, she was devoted to protecting the wellbeing of the horse and the safety of the rider. She received the GHJA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

 

In 2019 Sunny was recognized by the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) with the Jane Marshall Dillon Award which recognizes equestrians who devote their lives to teaching and mentoring riders in the hunter/jumper discipline. Another of her many awards was the Old Salem Farm Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

 

Not only was Sunny nationally and locally recognized as an exceptional horsewoman and trainer, but she was also well-regarded for her integrity, passion, humility, and generosity of spirit. Her legacy lives on in the lives of her students who she mentored and inspired.

 

Quite simply, she was a Legend.

 

We know what she would say to us now, “Hon, you’ve got to keep up your pace no matter what happens.” Sunny, we promise to keep leg on until we see you again.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held Monday, November 7, 2022, at the covered arena at the Wills Park Equestrian Center in Alpharetta, GA, at 2:00 p.m. 

 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Wills Park Equestrian Foundation in honor of Sunny Stevens, www.willsparkfoundation.com.