""John Clay" was a cousin to my mother, Barbara, and her twin, Kate. I knew him as the Dean of Stevens genealogy. I always wished to spend an afternoon with him and his collection. He was a LAWYER. I have worked in courtrooms as an interpreter, and I can tell you. John knew law and used it wisely. And he always chose words carefully. It's a good habit, although it drives witnesses up the wall. I miss him already."
In loving memory of
John Clay Stevens
February 7, 1919 - December 28, 2014
JOHN C. STEVENS
MUSCATINE, Iowa - John C. Stevens, long-time resident of Muscatine, passed away peacefully on Sunday night, December 28, 2014, at the Clarissa Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf.
Funeral Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2015, at Trinity Episcopal Church. A time of food and fellowship will be held following the service in the Parish Hall. Private Burial will take place in Greenwood Cemetery with Military Honors provided by the combined squads of the V.F.W. Post 1565 and the American Legion Post 27.
Visitation will be held from 3:30 until 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2015, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home with a Masonic Service at 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Rotary International Foundation, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60693; the Caring Fund at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4550; and Episcopal Relief & Development Fund, PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.
John Clay Stevens was born on February 7, 1919, in Albia, to parents John Edson and Florence Eschbach Stevens. John was the oldest of three children. After graduating from high school in Marquette, Michigan, in 1936, he attended Muscatine Community College for one year and transferred to Iowa State University where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1940. John worked as an accountant in Toledo, Ohio, for a year before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1941. He married his beloved wife, Lorraine Willis Stevens, on November 6, 1943, immediately prior to being shipped to the Italian front on Christmas Eve, 1943. He served as a Captain in the US Army, Field Artillery, 85th Infantry Division and received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and numerous other medals. He was honorably discharged from the Army at the end of World War II as a Major. After briefly working as a CPA for Price-Waterhouse in New York City, he and Lorraine relocated to Iowa City and he enrolled in the University of Iowa School of Law in 1946. He graduated from the Law School in 1948.
John began practicing law in Muscatine in 1948 and from 1954-1959, he was Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa under Judge Roy Stephenson in Des Moines. He returned to Muscatine permanently in 1960, and in the late 1960s he formed a partnership (Lewis, Stevens and Gillette, later Lewis and Stevens) with Robert Lewis and Frank Gillette. John continued to practice law until retiring in the fall of 2007 at the age of 88.
John became a member of the Rotary International Club in 1960 and served as president of the Muscatine Rotary Club for several years in the 1970s. During this time John actively participated in exchanges with members of Rotary Clubs in other countries, and on several occasions he hosted Rotary guests from foreign countries. John was awarded a Rotary Sapphire Pin for his volunteer service in 2006 and received a second Sapphire Pin in November of 2014.
John and his wife, Lorraine, were founding members of the Muscatine Art Center, and John was an active volunteer with the Muscatine Little League for many decades. He enjoyed collecting antique maps and had an excellent collection of McKinney and Hall Indian prints, among others. He was passionate about family history and genealogy, as well. He supported a wide variety of organizations, including the University of Iowa, Trinity Episcopal Church, Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Richard and Shirley Drake Charitable Trusts, the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra, and Greenwood Cemetery. John was also a long time member of the Masonic Temple, 33 Club, Quarterback Club, the Elks Club, American Legion Post 27, Geneva Country Club, and both the Ramrod and Table of Knowledge coffee clubs.
He is survived by his daughters, Suzanne Stevens of New York, New York, and Martha "Marcy" Dresser and husband, Robert, of McLean, Virginia; son, Sandy Stevens and wife, Jeanne, of Louisville, Kentucky; two grandchildren, Heather Lorraine and Douglass Stevens Dresser; a step granddaughter, Emilie Barrick and husband, Adam; and a step great-grandson, Henry Thomas Barrick.
He was preceded in death by his father and mother, John E. and Florence E. Stevens; his wife, Lorraine Willis; and two sisters, Elizabeth Estey and Suzanne Gruenwald.
Tributes
"I got to know John by playing cards with him at the Masonic temple in Muscatine. He was such a great, friendly man. I enjoyed the short time I was able to get to know him. He was greatly missed when he was no longer able to make it in."
"I had the pleasure as did many of John's friends of enjoying his presence at Iowa football games. The photo below indicates his determination to be there when the Hawks took the field. He was always there rooting for the Hawks. With many fond memories of a Great Person. ::: Bill Molis :::"
"Dear Family of John Stevens: My name is Jeanne (Pahl) Myers. I worked for Mr. Stevens while attending Muscatine Community College in 1964-1966. He was my first contact with the "law" and I went on to become a Certified Legal Assistant. Mr. Stevens was a true gentleman, a kind and instructive employer and a gifted attorney. He set the bar high for other attorneys for whom I have worked. I am saddened to hear of his passing, but I know he left a rich legacy in many areas. Please accept my sympathy and my admiration for a great man. "
"Dear Susie, Marcy and Sandy, We are so saddened to hear of your father's passing. Hopefully, he was met at the Pearly Gates by Mom (Betty) and Dad (Don) and of course your lovely mom, our Cousin Lorainne. We share with you in this terrible loss and are thinking of you all at this sad time. God's blessings and peace be with all of you and your families. Fondly, Maggie, Martha (Butler) and John Harrer"
"Sandy...Please accept my condolences at the passing of your father. He obviously had a long and very successful life, and I am sure he will be sorely missed by your family. Maureen and I are thinking of you. Take care...Dan"