Nina Stephenson Ferrante, age 76, of Columbus, MS, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 24, 2014, at Community Hospice of Verona, MS. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, at Beersheba Cumberland Presbyterian Church. A memorial service will follow in the sanctuary at 11:00 AM with Rev. Tim Lee officiating. The interment will immediately follow in Beersheba Cemetery with Gunter & Peel Funeral Home directing. Mrs. Ferrante was born in Corinth, MS, on February 8, 1937. She and her husband, Matthew Emil Ferrante of Columbus moved to Columbus in 1997. She graduated from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, in 1978 with a double major in Psychology and Philosophy, from the University of South Alabama with a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, and a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Auburn University in 1988. She developed the Childhaven Program for Mobile Mental Health, was Outpatient Counseling Coordinator for Charter Hospitals in Mobile, had a private practice for many years in Mobile and later in Florida. As a participant in the community, she was active as a volunteer with the Hospice Program, RSVP, Friends of the Library and Trinity. She and her nationally certified therapy dog, Roscoe, visited the nursing home, schools, library, and other locations, bringing happiness to many. She was an avid knitter and many are recipients of original designs. For many years she taught crisis management classes and was active in Crisis Counseling Teams in Florida and Mississippi. She was a very active volunteer with the American Red Cross as a trainer and member of the mental health team. She served in numerous disasters all across the United States and Guam. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She was an active member of Beersheba Cumberland Presbyterian Church as a teacher, choir member, and the Christian Women's Ministry Program. She is preceded in death by her parents, Vada Milligan Stephenson and Odell Kinion Stephenson, daughter Anita and her brother Odell Kinion Stephenson, Jr. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son Thomas Nelson Hardin, Jr. of Corinth, MS, sister, Linda Stephenson Alderson Roberts and her husband Phillip, stepchildren, Tim Ferrante and his wife Leigh of Stafford, VA, John Daniel Ferrante and his wife Dodie of Colorado Springs, CO, grandchildren, Laura Hardin and Andrew Hardin and a step grandson, Luke Ferrante of Colorado Springs, CO, nieces and nephew Tammy and Stephen Alderson and their beloved boys, Matthew and Christopher, also her beloved service dog Roscoe. Pallbearers will be Phillip Roberts, Tim Ferrante, John Daniel Ferrante, Joey Stephenson, Stephen Alderson, and Matthew Alderson. In lieu of flowers which made her sneeze, memorials may be made to Beersheba Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1736 Beersheba Rd., Columbus, MS, 39702.
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