Merton Harry "Steve" Stevens

Merton Harry (“Steve”) Stevens, husband of the late Dorothea (Wyllie) Stevens, died peacefully at The Terraces of Orleans on February 10, 2014. Steve was born in Newark, NJ on February 5, 1924 to Dr. Merton H. Stevens and Eldora (Ketler) Stevens. Steve graduated from Middlebury College, where he played football and basketball. He served in the Navy during WWII and returned to continue graduate studies at the University of New Mexico.

Steve’s family spent many summers in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s staying at the Overlook Inn in Eastham. He recalled fondly that he and a childhood friend tented for weeks at a time on the Outer Beach. While Steve stayed at the Overlook, Henry Beston would signal the inn with a mirror from “The Outermost House” on Coast Guard Beach. Steve played baseball in the Cape Cod League when Eastham fielded its own team.

Steve took residence in Maryland and worked for the US Hydrographic Office, where he helped to prepare navigational maps and charts. This entailed numerous noteworthy trips including crossing the Arctic Circle on an icebreaker.

Steve married Dottie in 1956. He and his family moved to Orleans in 1969 when he was transferred to the National Seashore, where he was employed as a cartographer. The family eventually settled at “Make Easting” in Eastham, the home of his parents. In his retirement, Steve loved to play tennis outside, year ‘round with the Eastham Seniors, sometimes shoveling the courts of snow in order to play. He was affectionately called the “Lobster” for his devious lob shots. He also enjoyed playing for many years in the Senior Softball League. Steve and Dottie travelled extensively.

A lifelong student athlete and devoted family man, Steve will be remembered for his fondness for his many Boston Terriers, his long evenings playing catch with his daughter and his metal detecting forays onto Civil War Battlefields with his son.

Steve leaves his daughter, Joanna Stevens and her partner Aimee Eckman; granddaughter, Emma; his son, Paul of Portland, Oregon; and his nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his wife and his sister, Eldora (Stevens) Thorlin. Funeral service and burial will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to: Eastham Fireman’s Association, 2520 State Highway, Eastham, MA 02642.