Stephanie Friend

Stephanie Washington Friend, daughter of George and Johnnie Mae Washington, was born on October 4, 1965 in Charlotte, NC. God's angels peacefully escorted her from her residence in Indianapolis, IN to her Lord and Savior on December 9, 2017. Stephanie leaves to cherish her memories her husband of 11 years (Christian), a sister (Deborah Washington), four brothers (George Washington, Gregory Washington (Renee), Anthony Washington (Brenda), and James Washington), two God children (Johntavius Washington and Debreia Washington) and many beloved aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.  Stephanie graduated from Garinger HS in 1983 and briefly attended Central Piedmont Community College before beginning her professional career. Stephanie worked for Bank of America, the Federal Reserve Bank, and UPS before beginning a 15-year career at Duke Energy. Stephanie would often work two full-time jobs including a job with Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation at First Ward Recreation Center where she served the community and met her eventual husband, Christian A. Friend.  Stephanie and Christian married on June 16, 2006. While Christian and Stephanie never had children, Stephanie adopted a dog who soon became like her only child. Bentley Farnsworth Friend III joined the family on November 4, 2015. Stephanie would affectionately refer to Bentley as “Shnookums”.  Soon after marriage, Stephanie returned to school to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from UNC Charlotte and Master’s Degree in Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill. Stephanie was proud to be a Tarheel and used her training to serve the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community with positions at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, Safe Alliance and The Council for Children’s Rights. She served as Management Analyst for Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services before relocating to Indianapolis, Indiana in 2016. In Indianapolis, Stephanie served as the Director of Homeless Management Information Systems for CHIP Indy.  Stephanie was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and her passion for the Lord spilled over into her passion for serving humanity. Her passion in life was service to her family, friends, co-workers, community, and to church where she serviced as a choir member and worship leader. Stephanie was known for her innovative style of dress, her skills in interior decorating, and her electric smile.  She will be dearly missed, but her family knows she is singing praises to the Lord in a heavenly choir.