Norman S. Stevens

Norman S. Stevens

June 20, 1929 - July 28, 2016

Norman S. Stevens

June 20, 1929 - July 28, 2016

Obituary

Norman Stanley Stevens was born on June 20, 1929 in Detroit Michigan, and passed on July 28th 2016, after several years of suffering with Dementia. He is survived by his wife Jean, of 65 years, and his children Julie, Robert, Sheila, and his grandson Griffen, granddaughter Angela, and his sister Christine.

Norm was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, by his parents Stanley & Julia; many of their extended family lived within blocks of each other, having come here from Poland. He joined the Army in 1948, and after basic training in Fort Knox, KY, he was sent to Letterman Army Hospital, in San Francisco; for the remaining three and half years of his enlistment. He was one of the lead Supply Sergeants, and was chosen to play on the Sixth U.S. Army baseball team for two seasons. Norm also met his wife of 65 years while being stationed in San Francisco. He took night classes at San Francisco State while working various jobs, and graduated in 1955.

Norm’s career spanned decades working in the Parks and Recreation Department of San Francisco, Fontana, and as the Director in West Covina. He planned and designed many new parks and created some of the first after-school programs that were duplicated across California. He was appointed as one of the first chairmen of the ASA (Amateur Softball Association) where he continued to develop and grow the program in Southern California.

Norm was an avid reader; reading over 2,000 books in his lifetime. He loved to play baseball and basketball, and played on the LDS basketball team. After retiring, he served a Stake Mission in Murrieta, CA, with his wife Jean, for five years. He and Jean were called to serve at the LDS temple in San Diego for six years, and Norm also served at the Newport Temple for another seven years. He loved his church, and never missed an opportunity to share his faith with any stranger within ears length.

Norm will be remembered by his family and friends, and know we will see him again.

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When God saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be
He put his arms around you
And whispered come to me
He didn’t like what you went through
And he gave you rest
His garden must be beautiful
He only takes the best
And when we saw you sleeping
So peaceful and free from pain
We wouldn’t wish you back
To suffer that again
Today we say goodbye
And as you take your final rest
That garden must be beautiful
Because you are one of the best

-Anonymous

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2 responses to Norman S. Stevens

  1. Sorry for the blurry picture!

  2. To my father
    Some children miss out on their fathers because they decide to be physically absent, choosing work or hobbies over spending time with their kids. Other fathers are emotionally absent, not letting their children see that they even have emotions, hiding who they really are. With my father, I wanted for nothing. Dad was always there for me in both body and spirit. I remember the summer family vacations traveling to Utah during my childhood. Sitting behind my Dad in the car on those warm summer days traveling on the open road talking for hours about sports as if we were the only two in the car. In my teenage years, their were times when I called him during working hours for various reasons and sometimes interrupting important meetings. He always took the call without any hesitation, anger or guilt and would always reinforce in a calming tone that you can call me anytime, family comes first.
    During my final visits to see my dad, his concerns and conversations were never about his condition but directed toward the welfare and well being of his family. At tragic times like these, so many families are worried about all the things left unsaid because they were not brave enough to say them and they ran out of time. We were lucky, because of my father’s openness, in that we always said to each other what needed to be said. There are no regrets about that thanks to his openness, his willingness, his understanding and his love. But the most important thing I can say about my father is that through our relationship he was able to spare me the void that so many men have in themselves.The world is filled with adult men who never heard their father say “I love you,” who wonder throughout their lives whether they were loved. I talk to friends about this and see it in magazines and newspapers, and I have always been amazed by this. My father spared me from this wound that many men walk around with. I never doubted that he loved me. He told me so whenever we spoke, especially in the last years of his life. When we were children, I never doubted my father’s love. That is the greatest gift that a father can give to his son. I consider it a miracle that he had the strength of spirit to be able to give to me what he never received from his father. I will always miss him and I will always love him.
    Son

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