Obituary of Bruce Alan Stevens

Bruce Stevens of Twin Falls, Idaho was received by his Loving Father on the evening of June 6th, 2012. He was 65 years old and passed on under the amazing care of the physicians and staff at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Medical Center. His family was able to spend the day sharing their love with him, and he was able to give his blessing and approval for his daughter Ashley’s hand in marriage to Will Stewart prior to his death. Bruce was born in Boise, Idaho to C.W. (Bill) Stevens and Margaret Dunlap Stevens. He had 4 brothers, Richard, Ronald , Bradford and Kirk Stevens and one sister Ann Stevens Sands. His childhood friends were Dale Metzger, Charles Samuelson, Mike Goss, Mike (Fuzzy) Selves (deceased on 9/11 at the Pentagon), Steve Hale, Toni and Linda Enbysky. He spent his childhood in Pendleton, Oregon where he was a State Champion .22 caliber Target Shooter, saxophonist in the Pendleton High School Band, and Master Counselor of Demolay. Bruce attended college at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, OR and later at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in General Studies. He married his first wife Kathleen (Kathy) E. Fredericksen of Hermiston, Oregon on Jan 1, 1970. Bruce and Kathy have three children, Michael, Christopher, and Jeffrey Stevens. Bruce worked at various levels of management with Albertson’s and Safeway during his marriage to Kathy. He met his wife Carole Lynn Jackson at Westchester Christian Church where they were married on June 13th, 1981 and have enjoyed nearly 31 years of marriage. Bruce and Carole have 4 children, Ashley, Phillip, William, and Makayla Stevens. Their children all graduated from Twin Falls High School, and Makayla is currently entering her junior year of high school at Canyon Ridge High School. Carole teaches first grade at Xavier Charter School. Bruce and Carole both recently celebrated their birthdays on June 3rd and June 5th and their 31st anniversary would have been on June 13th. Bruce graduated with a Masters Degree in Divinity from the School of Theology at Claremont, California. Bruce has devoted his life to serving the church and his fellow man. He was a youth minister at Westchester Christian Church in Los Angeles, California from 1979-1982. He was Student Pastor at First Christian Church in Reseda, California from 1982-1983. He then moved on to Wenatchee, Washington where he served as Associate Minister at Central Christian Church from 1983-1986. He then became Senior Minister for First Christian Church of Porterville, California from 1986-1994. He and his family settled in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1994 where they currently reside. He was Senior Minister at Valley Christian Church from 1994-1996 and later at Jerome Church of the Nazarene. Bruce cared for many people through Hospice Care over his lifetime and felt great pride in being there for those who were ill and preparing for their life’s end. He also presided over countless weddings, baptisms, funerals, and blessings. Bruce most recently served as Manager of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program at the College of Southern Idaho Office on Aging. He took great pride in his work at the local and state level and cared so much for his co-workers and supervisors. Bruce was an avid sports fan and followed his Dodgers, Niners, and Lakers religiously. Bruce is survived by his wife of 31 years, Carole Lynn Jackson Stevens, his mother Margaret Dunlap Stevens of Corvallis, Oregon, and favorite Aunt Faye Dunlap of Caldwell, Idaho. His four brothers Richard Stevens of Portland, Oregon, Ronald (Soozi) Stevens of Corvallis, Oregon, Bradford Stevens of Pendleton, Oregon, Kirk (Josi) Stevens of Clackamas, Oregon and one sister Ann (Rod) Sands of Oregon City, Oregon. He is also survived by his 7 children : Michael (Lori) Stevens of Edmond, OK, Christopher (Melissa) Stevens of Broken Arrow, OK, Jeffrey (Dayle) Stevens of Twin Falls , Ashley Stevens of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Phillip , William and Makayla Stevens of Twin Falls. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren Matthew, Lydia, Allie, Summer, Spencer, and Colton. Bruce was preceded in death by his grandparents, his father C.W. (Bill) Stevens, and his niece Hillary A. Sands. A Memorial Service is scheduled at 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday June 12th, 2012 at the Twin Falls Church of the Nazarene at 1231 Washington Street North in Twin Falls. A viewing will be held at Rosenau Funeral Home at 2826 Addison Ave. East from 6-8 PM on Monday June 11th. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Heart Association, Kids Count Too (P.O. Box 5533 Twin Falls, ID 83303) or to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Foundation. The family would like to extend their gratitude to the physicians, nurses, and other staff of St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Medical Center. In addition, a special thanks to Ken and Kyi Kyi Whiting who offered their help and home to Bruce. The best way to remember Bruce is to show compassion to others, and to trust in God. Take your family camping and if possible to Disneyland or a baseball game. He was loved by many and will be missed dearly. Family and friends are encouraged to share their memories of Bruce at www.rosenaufuneralhome.com