Joseph Bryant Stevenson

He leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Robbin Marley; his grandsons, Ashton and Vasco; his brother, Charles Hough, and his sister, Joy Hough. He was welcomed into Heaven by his parents, Virgil Stevenson and Geraldine Buskey, and by his son, Virgil Stevenson.

If you needed somebody to stop what they were doing and come help change a flat tire, Joe was your man. He loved a good country meal, and you might not guess it, but the Cooking Channel was one of his favorites.

Joe, taking after his father, was born a carpenter. He could take a pile of lumber and turn it into a house. That talent carried him to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where he worked until retiring in 2016.

Joe never met a stranger. He welcomed everybody and always found a way to connect. Folks from all walks of life ended up being his friends.

When his son Virgil took up wrestling, Joe jumped right in as a referee. He was known for being fair, diligent, and careful to protect the kids on the mat. That role carried him up and down the East Coast and even put him on his very first airplane trip.

Family was at the heart of everything Joe did. When his mom came back from Seattle after several years away, she asked for his help finding an apartment. Joe just said, “It’s time for you to be home,” and made space for her right there with him and Robbin. She thrived in their care until she passed at 89.

After retirement, Joe would take more time to work on cars—especially the hot rods of his youth. The Chevy Nova was his favorite. He was a shade-tree mechanic through and through. He never passed a junkyard without stopping, and he never met another mechanic he could not match.

Joe graduated from Great Bridge High School and also attended Frederick Military Academy. He had a sharp mind and loved challenges. Around the home and on the farm, he always had a project going. You may recall his classic answering machine greeting, “We are in the back forty right now…” Joe liked to say, “There’s a catalog for everything—and they’re free.”

If you knew Joe, then you know he never forgot you. He remembered every person, every visit. At his mom’s funeral he stood up and went around the assembled family and friends calling each one by name and acknowledging their importance in her life. That’s who Joe was. If he knew you, you had a place in his heart.

He was gentle. He was caring. He was steady. He honored life, and we honor him now.

As Joe wished there will be no services. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you give to your favorite charity in memory of Joe Stevenson—a good man who lived a simple life and blessed this world with his light.