Lynda Stevenson died peacefully at Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, OR. She was born to Larry and Ruth Elder in Hollywood, CA. She had a younger sister, Cheryl. Lynda was a scholar and excelled in school. She was awarded an AFS scholarship in 1958 and she was assigned to one year in Sweden. She was involved with AFS for 15 years after her assignment. She attended Pasadena City College, California State University in Hayward, the University of Texas, and Cal Poly, focusing on her goal of becoming a Certified Registered Nurse, a Certified Counselor of Chemical Dependency, and a Home Health Nurse.
Lynda met her husband, Gary Stevenson, through mutual friends. They were smitten with each other and married in 1961, just 3 1/2 months after their first meeting. Their love and friendship lasted 62 years together. They are the proud parents of their son, Jeffrey Stevenson, of Wilder, Idaho, and their daughter, Kristen Stevenson Milner, of Walnut Creek, CA.
Gary’s work with Sperry UNIVAC Computer took the young family all over the United States, living in different states. They were sent to South Africa for four years and have many fond memories of those years, traveling to see the amazing sights of the area.
In 1995, Lynda and Gary settled in the Rogue Valley, purchasing the Fredrick E. Fury Historical Farm of 1887 in Medford, Oregon. Lynda thrived on the farm, growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables and enjoying the wildlife. She worked at Providence Hospital during this time, sharing a position with her good friend, Vickie. Those in the medical field and her patients knew Lynda to be warm, comforting, compassionate, gentle, and a good listener.
With Lynda and Gary’s move to Old East Medford, they became the “neighborhood grandparents.” Lynda invited neighborhood children and teens into her home to play the piano, have a cookie, climb a ladder to observe a bird’s nest, pet a dog, or earn a few dollars doing a chore for her.
Lynda continued to read, research, and learn in her retirement years. She continued her love of gardening and composting and learned to do calligraphy. She was a voracious reader of all genres: political, art, news, history, historical fiction, and murder mysteries.
Lynda was the best friend and a wonderful wife to Gary, a proud mother of Jeff and his wife Lori, Kris and her husband Tom. She was a loving and adoring Ouma to her two grandsons, Brayton Milner, a police officer, and Brock Milner, a student at Boise State University in Idaho. Lynda is also survived by her sister, Cheryl Moeller of Irvine, CA, her niece Mackenna Moeller, and nephew Michael Moeller and his wife Bree and their sons Benjamin, Jack and Zachary Moeller. Gary’s brother, Dennis Stevenson, and his wife, Virginia, of Montrose, CO, and their children, Steve, April, and Callie.
It is important to remember Lynda’s friends with whom she was involved on a daily basis and who were so dear to her: Carol Manning, Vickie Jackson, Mary Sinclair, Nancy Tappen, Joann Cleckner, Brenda Savin, Jill Noonan, and her multigenerational neighbor family.
Preceding Lynda in death was her constant companion Lacie, her 100-pound Bernese Mountain Dog, as gentle as a lamb. Their neighbors dearly miss seeing Lynda and Lacie out for their daily walks and greeting everyone along the way.
Lynda is greatly missed and remembered with much love and affection. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.
Donations in Lynda’s honor may be made to So Humane in Medford, OR, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, or to AFS Intercultural Programs/USA.