Cathy, I was so sorry to hear this.  I pray God comforts you and your family during this time.  Sending you hugs.

I remember

I remember the scar on your finger from the cut you got when you broke your baby bottle. 
 
I remember when you had a severely injured shin that was a result of a piece of iron being thrown at you.  I remember the daily penicillin shots you endured for over 2 weeks.  I remember hearing the adults say that you might lose your leg.

I remember being left in charge of you when the folks had to go out in the field to work and they left you in a baby crib to make sure you did not walk around on the injured leg.  I remember you needed to pee but I wasn't big enough to get you out of the crib.  I remember scrounging around to find something for you to pee in.then you were fine.  Crisis averted.

I remember making a Prince Valiant cape for you out of an old sheet.  I dyed it red, using Rit dye in a galvanized bucket over a kerosene stove.  

I remember the sword you made from a tree branch.  You whittled it with your Barlow pocket knife.   You used a scrap of wood as the cross piece and the abundance of nails attaching it was a design in itself.

I remember you pulling BrerBar's tail and running to jump on the settee so he couldn't bite you.  I remember once you didn't get there fast enough.   I remember saying, well, that's what you get.

I remember your gift of mimicry when we messed with people on our telephone party line.  We knew we were wrong to do it, but it was so much fun.

I remember your ability to pile food on your plate until it ran over.  You would eat it all then say, well, that was good for a start.  I remember many times you would end with a desert consisting of a big mixture of peanut butter, oats N honey.

I remember when you got your first horse and how much you loved her.  I remember how dedicated you were in taking care of her and spending time with her.

I remember your wonderful ability to laugh at yourself.  I remember one evening you said, the boys laughed at me in PE today.  When we asked why, you said, I was just standing there and I tripped over my own feet.

I remember what a good long distance runner you were.  I remember running with you on the country roads at night because the air was cooler.  I remember trying to match your long stride and your controlled breathing. 

I remember how hard you worked to save money for college.  I remember how goal orientated you were and how you never gave up on your plan.

I remember when you wore a kilt and learned the Highland Sword Dance.  I remember being amazed that you could be so graceful.

I remember the first time I saw you after you started college.  You seemed so home sick, but you soon settled in and found your stride.

I remember you and Errol sitting down and trying to devour a half gallon of ice cream and a gallon of milk between you, when you came home from college on break.

I remember how proud you were of your Aggie boots.

I remember how you backed Papa in the corner and forced him to attend your wedding.  I remember thinking you were not only clever in what you did, but also steadfast in your genuine desire to have him there.

I remember when you moved to West Texas and your normal slow speech pattern became even slower, to the point of being almost excruciating.  

I remember how you would eat all the little potato chips on your plate first and leave the big ones for last.

I remember how helpful you were to Mama when Papa died.   And I remember how you took care of Mama's estate when she died.

I remember so much, little brother.  I shall miss you.

Cathy and family: I was blessed beyond measure to have Mark a friend
and confidant since   we organized St Thomas Becket Anglican Church  
29 yearsago  More than once he posed questions that sent me racing to
the nearest reference book in my  library.   Knowing he was not the casual reader, but  student of
each one he had read he always put me to the test.  Mark was an
exceptional human being and Christian gentleman.  His loss to my
life and ministry  is beyond measure.  I shall miss him deeply.
The Rev'd Kenneth P. Bradley (Derby, KS)

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."  We at St. Francis will miss Mark's faithful presence.

Mark will be sorely missed in Wichita, KS as well.  From the times he and Cathy hosted great get-togethers for her friends and nurse-coworkers at their home to the visits back from Texas with us.  Thank you, Mr. Keeney, for your enlightening message; Mark was not one to toot his own horn.  He was a man of faith and principles and not willing to compromise on either.  Though we wish that he had not been taken from this earth, we are confident that we will be reunited with him in the mansions prepared for us in heaven. Peace be with you, Cathy and family.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13

My hope is found in nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I love you dad...with all of my heart.

Mark was a great neighbor and a wonderful person to be around.  He commanded the admiration and respect from all who knew him.  A loss to all who love the ideals of America.  A man who will be missed by all.
                                                          Rick and Linda Sullivan (Johnson City, TX)

Mark Stevenson was an original, and will be sorely missed by all who knew him, especially our Aggie Family, Squadron Eight '71 (Animal Eight).

Mark went through the crucible with us; four years of juggling his Petroleum Engineering courses with the additional mental and physical challenges of the Corps of Cadets; all while working in the summers and serving as a waiter in Duncan Dining Hall during school seasons.  We lived a lifetime in those years, and we got to know each other intimately.

Mark was his own man; he didn't bend his ideas to the current trends or succumb to peer pressure.  He was a vegetarian and a non smoker/drinker, so he should have outlived all of us.  He was one of the few of the 80 plus cadets in our outfit who had his own car, job and girlfriend.  He sometimes seemed like an adult to the rest of us kids.  He got through a rigorous Engineering degree by sheer willpower and stamina; working tirelessly on his academics when many others dropped by the wayside.  Most of the '71 Animals left the Corps, the School or Engineering; Mark was one of only eight seniors in the boot line for our graduation and Final Review.

He had a great sense of humor; he cracked us up by channeling people he knew in their own voices.  As head waiter in his senior year, he organized a Waiter Drill Team, a send off of the Ross Volunteers.  Like the RVs, he had them in their white waiter jackets and paper yellow ascots, and he drilled them in tossing  their waiter trays in various formations.  It was hilarious and brought the 2500 cadets in the Dining Hall to tears of laughter.

Mark served briefly in the Navy; then sought his fortune in the oil fields.  After many cycles of the petroleum roller coaster, he and Cathy managed to get off at a high point, liquidate their assets and settle down to retirement in the Texas Hill Country.  He well deserved these days of rest, if cutting brush, chopping firewood and setting up a new home can be called rest.

We didn't keep in touch with Mark as well as we should, although he did attend many of our reunions.  It now seems typical of Mark that he wouldn't have shared his illness with us.

Mark left behind a wonderful family; wife Cathy (who we admired so much while we were cadets) and  and two beautiful daughters.  In the hearts of our exclusive brotherhood he will always have a place and his memory will forever bring a smile.

OBITUARIO

Mark Paul Stevenson

9 mayo, 1948 – 23 enero, 2016

Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home

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