Virginia Stephenson marked her 106th birthday Thursday with a luau celebration at her Santa Monica senior living community, capping a life that took her from the Southern California Gas Company to pulpits around the world.
Born June 19, 1919, in Los Angeles, Stephenson spent more than four decades traveling internationally as one of five teachers selected by spiritual leader Joel Goldsmith to spread his message of "The Infinite Way," a Christian Science-based philosophy.
Stephenson's spiritual journey began in 1951 when she completed formal training in Christian Science. After she and her husband Arthur built a home in Pacific Palisades in 1953, she became active in the local Christian Science congregation, serving on the board of directors for their new church construction and later as Sunday school superintendent.
Her teaching career expanded beyond Pacific Palisades to include Bible lessons in San Diego, Hawaii, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Chicago. In 1965, she opened a study center on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica focused on biblical mysticism.
Stephenson retired from active teaching in 2004 and lived in Hawaii before moving to Brookdale Ocean House in Santa Monica in 2023 to be closer to her son John and his wife Sandra. She also has a daughter.
Despite some hearing challenges, Stephenson remains active and independent. She reads lips, uses a cellphone and attends weekly Shabbat services at her residence. Staff at Brookdale Senior Living say she is the second-oldest resident across all their communities.
The Thursday celebration included friends, family and neighbors at the senior living facility where Stephenson has become known for her participation in sing-alongs and advocacy for people with hearing difficulties.
Stephenson worked at Southern California Gas Company before dedicating her life to spiritual teaching and extensive travel that defined her career for decades.
