David Bruce Stevens, M.D., 87, of Lexington, passed away suddenly of natural causes February 6, 2017, at his home on Monday.
Born July 11, 1929, in Louisville, son of Albert Clyde and Sue Schan Stevens. He was predeceased in 2014 by his college sweetheart and wife of 61 years, Sally Ann Symon Stevens.
He is the brother of Alice Sparks of Fort Mitchell.
David Stevens
Raised in Louisville, he fell in love with golf, a lifelong passion, and worked as a caddy. One of his favorite stories was how he shagged balls for a not yet famous Army sergeant, named Ben Hogan.
After graduating from Louisville Male High School, he worked his way through DePauw University, where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. Sally and Dave were married shortly after college, and moved to Chicago to complete his medical school training at Northwestern School of Medicine. In 1960, they moved to Lexington, and never left.
He enjoyed a 20-year private practice career in orthopaedic surgery, seeing patients at St. Joseph, Central Baptist, and Good Samaritan hospitals.
He was then appointed Chief of Staff at the Lexington Shriners Hospital, where he practiced for the next 20 years, and joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He was active in organized medicine at the local, state, and national levels.
He was an amateur pilot, and logged thousands of miles in his beloved Cessna, “7439-er Tango”, often with Sally as his companion on his flights. He was a creative athlete, and in the winter could be spotted jogging the golf course while he carried four clubs, playing a game he nicknamed “rolf”. He also loved to sail, and spent many happy summers with family and friends on Lake Charlevoix in Michigan. He was a member of the Triangle Foundation, and former board member of the Bluegrass Community Foundation.
He was a civic leader, known for his ability to build consensus and negotiate compromise to improve the Lexington community. In 1974, he served on the committee that crafted the Fayette County merger with the city of Lexington, to form the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. He also championed the successful indoor smoking ban for Lexington in 2003, at a time when smoking bans in Kentucky were a radical concept.
He is survived by his two children, Dr. Scott (Julia) Stevens of Lexington, and Patty Stevens (Samuel) Ardery of Bloomington, IN, and his brother Donald (Wendy) Stevens of Camarillo, CA, and sister, Alice Sparks of Ft. Mitchell.
He was blessed with 7 grandchildren: Carolyn (Ian) Duggan of Newport News, VA; Rachel (Ben) Iler of Indianapolis, IN; Laura Stevens of Woods Hole, MA; Grace Ardery of Chicago, IL; Sarah (Michael) Berro of Durham, NC; Mary Ardery of Asheville, NC; and David Lane Stevens of Lexington/New Haven, CT. He was also blessed with one great grandchild, Lane Jerome Duggan of Newport News, VA. He was predeceased by his brother, Michael Stevens, and his cherished grand nephew, Joseph Alexander Zdolshek. He is survived by nephews and nieces and their spouses and children, including John Sparks, Sally(Dale) Zdolshek, Dana Zdolshek, Isabella Zdolshek, Adam(Elizabeth) Stevens, Thomas(Dhana) Stevens, Cameron Stevens, Kyra Stevens, and Brenda Stevens.
Visitation is Friday, February 10: 4-7 PM, Milward-Broadway with Masonic Services at 6:30 PM conducted by Lexington Lodge #1 F&AM and on Saturday, February 11, 2017, 10 AM, Crestwood Christian Church, followed by a funeral service at 11 AM. Reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations to Shriners Hospital, 1900 Richmond Rd, Lexington, 40502; or the Lexington Rotary Club Endowment Fund, 401 West Main St, Suite 305, Lexington, 40507; or the charity of your choice.
