Dave Stevens left us on February 11, 2021. Born on May 27, 1931, he was the eldest of two sons born to Berton and Mildred Stevens of Columbus, Ohio. He and his brother Binet grew up in Columbus until his father died and his mother relocated the family to Harbor Beach, Michigan where she could get employment as a teacher. After graduating as valedictorian from Harbor Beach High School, Dave attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he studied political science. While there, he met Marian Moats and they married on September 5, 1953 while he was serving in the US Army at Fort Belvoir, VA. They returned to the Ann Arbor area and began raising three children Lois, Rebecca, and David while Dave completed his Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University. The young family moved to Lansing, Michigan in 1962 where Dave completed his Masters and Educational Specialist degrees at Michigan State University and both Dave and Marian worked in the Lansing Public School System. Although the family didn’t have a lot of money, they had some amazing adventures. For many years, he was an avid sailor of Lightning class sailboats and iceboats. They loved to travel and bought a motorhome to travel throughout the USA and then they took sabbatical leave and traveled in Europe for a year and spent the winter in Morocco; he often said it was the best year of his life. Dave and Marian retired at the end of the school year in June 1985 and immediately headed to Florida for a new phase and the next adventure of their life, living on a 44-ft ketch on the east coast of Florida and being close to their grandchildren. After retiring, they continued to travel far and wide including China, Kenya, Eastern Europe, Latvia, and Alaska. In June 1998, Marian died unexpectedly and a new chapter of his life began.

Dave met Gail Martin at a University of Michigan Alumni Club meeting, they charmed each other and after a whirlwind romance, the two married on February 14, 1999 at the Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida. Over the next few years, they lived in Boca Raton, Fort Pierce and finally settled in Naples, Florida. They enjoyed spending time at the beach, riding their tandem bicycle, working on local theatre productions, and participating in UM Alumni club and the Council of World Affairs programs. Dave always loved learning new things and would be quick to strike up a conversation with whoever he met. Dave and Gail took many trips around Florida, bringing along their tandem bike to get out and explore. As his eyesight failed, many activities became more difficult, but he was able to remain current on political and sporting events via audiobooks and periodicals from the Library of Congress and television, and attending other events with the assistance of his “seeing eye wife”. He was an avid University of Michigan football fan and enjoyed watching as many NFL games as he could, a particular interest was following the pro careers of Michigan football players, especially Tom Brady.

He is preceded in death by his parents; brother Binet, sister-in-law Rosalie and nephew Bryan; first wife Marian and grandson Leighton. He is survived by his second wife Gail; his daughter Lois and her husband Bob; daughter Rebecca, her husband Richard and Dave’s granddaughters Adrienne and Raquel; son David, his wife Hilary and Dave’s grandsons Graham, Walker and Pierce; nephews Jon and Bruce; and sister-in-law Anna Leigh Kubbe.

We will miss his hearty guffaw, wit and wisdom, and sense of humor. We wish him godspeed on his new adventure.