Lionel Phillip Stevens

Born to Reginald Philip and Elizabeth Stevens on Nov 15, 1931 in Ealing, county of Middlesex, England as Lionel Phillip Stevens. Known to some longtime friends as Steve.

Lionel was 7 years old when England declared war on Germany Sept 3, 1939. He had many memories of WWII, in the years that followed. There were many that would have been frightening. He has re-counted having a bomb shelter in their back yard and at other times scrambling to bomb shelters with his mom and many others. Their cottage was damaged by a bomb that hit in the street just outside the cottage. Consequently, he was sent, as were many other children, to live with family’s in the country side. This had a great influence on him that shaped his love of country life and interest in history of WWII.

He lived with a family on a farm where he helped with delivering milk. Lionel often recalled, with a straw, sipping milk that came directly from the cow. He would say, how delicious and sweet it was. It appears it was this that caused a Tuberculosis scar that showed up later as an adult. This was, as described by him, a good time in his life.

He began fishing in small country streams and under bridges. This became one of his fond pass times throughout his life. It was also then it appears that he began to find a kinship with nature, and a deep affection for all of god’s creatures. He came to realize the value of life and it was the start of developing a forgiveness for human faults and frailties.

Other memories he shared were damaged British planes with engines smoking, crashing in the fields. The children salvaging in bombed out buildings. Rations, another lasting experience. One of his favorite meals, he would say, was baked beans on toast, one of the staples at that time.

In his late teens, he began speed skating. He joined the local Aldwych Speed Skating Club and began competing. This became a lifelong passion that was a huge influence on his life.

Lionel joined England’s National Service, 14/20th King Hussars in 1951 and served his required 2 years. During this time, he started jogging and competed. Jogging became another pass time that stuck with him throughout his life. Hence forth, his jogging and competing in half marathons at Lake Chabot. Besides being in tanks in Libya, he also had duty as stores(inventory) work. This was the primer for jobs in the future such as with Volkswagen of America parts, Auto West and later Saturn Airways and Transamerica Airlines. Comment’s on his discharge was ‘Very Good Military Conduct’. The other comment was ‘An intelligent and hardworking man who takes great trouble over his job and over improving his own knowledge of his job. He is not afraid of long hours and can work on his own without supervision. He is clean, honest and jokes.’.

Through his speed skating, before and after his service in the army, he traveled to Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Canada. He made many close lifelong friendships with people over the globe, Australia, Canada, Norway, Germany, United States, England of course, some Olympians. These were very good friends who shared a special love of the sport and who always kept in touch.

In 1956, he immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where he worked for the Canadian National Railway hauling grain across the tundra to Churchill. He also served as a glaciers helper working on tall buildings in Toronto.

Because of one of his lifelong speed skating friendships, Don McDermott a former Olympian, he came to the United States to visit. It was then, he decided he wanted to live here. Don McDermott sponsored him and he immigrated to the United States in 1958.

At first, he lived with Don’s parents in their house in New Jersey until he found work and a place of his own. Then he moved into a basement apartment of a house in Queens New York and took a job with Volkswagen of America, parts department. There he made more lifelong friends, three girls that shared an apartment, a German girl Anneliese (who later married Don McDermott), Crystal, and Margret. He and Don had fond memories of good times spent with these girls. I was told, he made their apartment a home away from home. Crystal re-counted, at times she thought he would never leave so she told him she was going to wash her hair. When she came out of the shower, he was still there. Another was, he and Don were going there for Thanksgiving dinner, one of two dinners that day. One of the girls had meticulously cut parsnips into perfect cubes, for serving, one of Lionel’s favorite vegetables. Lionel came along and thought he would help, and mashed them.

During this time in New Jersey with his friend Don McDermott, Lionel wore the same pair of sneakers for years, until they were very dirty and raggedy. After a skating session once coming back to change footwear, to his embarrassment, he heard this nice looking girl say, ‘Look at these filthy old sneakers. I am going to sit here until I see the guy who dares to wear them.’.

A memory he had of Chris McKenzie. Chris was very athletic and energetic, always clowning around. Chris had married Gordon McKenzie, an Olympic speed skater. Not long after Lionel had surgery on his back fusing a couple of lower vertebrae, they were at Victory Field in Queens practicing running when Chris jumps on his back spinning him around. Of course, she didn’t realize he had just had surgery.

Also, while living in Queens, he dated a girl he decided to impress by taking her sailing. Apparently, his skills were lacking as he had to give up because he couldn’t even get the boat out of dock.

Another girl he took fishing. He had a nice setup, rod and reel. She hadn’t fished before, so he showed her how to cast. With her first cast, the line with bait flew out, but unfortunately, so did the rod and reel. Lost, one rod and reel.

Later in the 1960’s he came to California where he worked for Auto West.

Then began his career with the airlines. He worked for Saturn Airways at the old Oakland Airport on Earhart Road. There he worked his way up to Director of Purchasing and Inventory Control. Later, Saturn merged with Transamerica Airlines.

I joined Transamerica Airlines in 1981 working for the Inventory Control department. During this time, I grew to admire him for his work ethic and efficiency. He was very good at what he did and good at managing his personnel. One of my first thoughts about him was, people told me he was an outdoors person, but I did not see how because he never had any kind of a tan. The truth was, he was very much an outdoors person.

Six years later, I left Inventory Control to join the MIS department as a computer programmer. On my last day in the department, he asked if I would like to go out for lunch or dinner, my choice. Kind of a clever way of asking a girl out. I choose dinner and that was the beginning of a 30 year romance. We fell immediately in love and became kindred spirits. By choice, we spent all of our time together. We were so close and every day that went by we were so happy and thankful that we had found each other. A day did not go by that we didn’t say I love you. We did everything together. There was no where I wanted to go without him, nor he. I only wanted to be with him, always.

When Transamerica Airlines was sold off for assets by Transamerica Corp, Lionel and I had to be apart because the only place he could find airline work was with UPS airline division in Louisville, Kentucky. There he continued running in events such as the Triple Crown. He made more lasting friendships, Oz and Maureen. Others he worked with he visited them at their house, can’t remember his name. But this one fellow liked flying radio controlled planes. Their back yard opened out on to a thick forest of tall trees. The airplane got stuck in one of those trees. This buddy of his said no problem, he got his chain saw and cut down the tree with some bother only to find out the plane was still up in a tree. He had cut down the wrong tree. It was with this association he started up with another hobby, radio controlled planes.

Over the years, he became a collector of various things like camera’s, bicycles, watches, pens. His speed skating friend in Canada liked to tell his friends about this friend he had in the US who had 14 bicycles and parts to build another five. It sounds unlikely, but it was true. I was amazed each time another bike frame would show up at the door. He liked buying the parts and having the bike built up. Then he would buy different parts and have the bike shop change the parts. Eventually, he wouldn’t have enough room for anymore bikes so he would sell one in-order to make room for another. Finally, he whittled it down to the two we road, but it took a lot of whittling. I could only say to myself, well it is his hobby and it makes him happy. He would just tell me to be grateful he doesn’t collect motorcycles like his friend Otto. And yes, I was grateful.

Stemming from his childhood growing up in the countryside, he came to appreciate and be aware of the importance animals had in the cycle of life and down to insects as creations that had their place. He realized we were all connected. It came to be, he would save an ant, a spider from harm. He tutored me in this regard to no avail. My love for nature doesn’t go quit so deep. At a company event, a bee landed on his arm. The ladies were squealing. He told them not to worry, the bee will not harm you if you don’t harm it. Then he gave out a yell as it stung him and they all laughed.

His life at Lake Chabot began where he would frequently jog, starting before the park became open to the public. Then he began bike riding and hiking. All of which we did together there. I used to ride horseback on trails above the lake. The horse was Lindsey who belonged to some friends of ours and was pastured across from the lake. Lionel loved helping feed the horses and spending time with them. When I would ride Lindsey across to the lake, Lionel would hike alongside of us for a mile or two. He liked the way Lindsey, would stay up alongside of him with her mussel next to his shoulder puffing in his ear.

Lake Chabot became a special place to us. We enjoyed being there in a place you love doing the things you love to do. For this reason, and that we both shared the passion for being in this special place, with nature, God’s country, that Lionel made it his wishes to be cremated and his ashes spread there at Lake Chabot. By spreading his ashes on the lake, he will be re-born in the sense that water gives life to all things living. He will be one with all that is beautiful, serene and life giving, in all of God’s wonder. It is with god he belongs and I know he is.

It always amazed me, the effect he had on people who met him for the first time. You could see it in their eyes, a warmth he sparked in them. It was like they could see his kind and knowing soul shining out. There was something very special about him. It made you want to know him, to be with him. He was always considerate, compassionate, understanding and accepted people with all their faults. He never criticized or complained about others. I would make a comment about somebody, and I regretted it because he would say, “Well that is just so and so. You have to accept people for all that they are.”.

All of his friends felt they were his best friend. I would say to them, “You are one of Lionel’s best friends.”.

When his health started declining, I told him he is not going anywhere without me, and I am not ready to depart so he will just have to stick around. I told him I was sharing my guardian angel, who is my grandmother, with him, and she is watching over you and keeping you safe. He found comfort in that. When I was a child and afraid of the dark. Grandma would look under the bed and in the closet, then she would give me a kiss and say not to be afraid, go to sleep and I will see you in sleepy town. I used to do that with Lionel, give him a kiss, have Jasper (our 68 lb. retriever/border collie) give him a kiss, then tell him Jasper and I will see him in sleepy town. It always made him smile, he liked that. To my sadness, he left without me. But he is with my grandmother now and friends that passed before him.

I will always remember him as that vibrant active guy, speed skating, skiing, running through the hills, riding his bike, fishing, traveling, taking pictures with one of his many camera’s, and just being his usual fun loving, considerate self that we all knew and still love.

To end on a smile. When, he came to have demincea, one time one of his friends called while I was at the Pharmacy picking up a prescription. The friend called me to let me know and to see if in his condition, he would tell me he had called. He didn’t say anything, so I asked him if he got a call while I was gone. He said quit seriously, “Yes, Jasper called”. I said questionably, “Jasper?”. He said “Yes, I know it was Jasper because I recognized his bark.”.