John Edward Stevens November 16, 1940 ~ February 26, 2025

On February 26, 2025 our much loved brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather completed his earthly mission and returned home to his Heavenly Father and many loved ones.
John Edward Stevens was born November 16, 1940 in Moab, UT to Leonard Merrill and Evvie Elizabeth Stevens. He was the second of five siblings, Merrillyn, Reed, Millie, and Harold.
John was the father of five children, Mark (Ann), Greg (Heather), John (Andrea), Kelly (Shawn), and Lori who passed away in 2012. He had 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He loved us all.
John enjoyed sharing stories of his youth—the rumble at Devil’s Canyon, or the time that he was racing cars near Wilson Arch and the car that he was a passenger in rolled off the road.
Always particular about his appearance, the first thing he did after climbing out from the wreckage was to comb his hair. He loved Elvis Presley, John Deere tractors, Ferrari’s and every kind of pie.
John loved playing football and was the full back for his San Juan High School team, graduating in 1959. He went on to play football for Snow College.
He served a two and a half year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in France and Belgium. Upon returning from his mission, he attended Brigham Young University and received his Bachelors Degree in Finance.
At BYU he met and married Linda Terry. They had five children together and later divorced.
In 1988 he married Diana Black (Grandma Di). They had been married for 21 years until she passed away in 2009 after a long fight with cancer.
The last few years of his life were marked with a gradual decline in health due to Lewy Body Dementia. He was fortunate to have been cared for by his loving daughter and was surrounded by family these last few years.
While his mind was slipping, the old memories stayed strong and he regaled us with the songs and stories of his youth. Rest in peace Dad, until we meet again.
Dementia is a terrible disease more research needs to be done. In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to the University of Utah Department of Neurobiology: https://ugive.app.utah.edu/designation/94