John C. Stevens

John C. Stevens
Appleton, USA

A beloved gentlemen lost his 17 month long battle with cancer Monday evening, September 24, 2001. “Big John” was born August 4, 1919, to the late John C. and Lillian Rosencrans Stevens in Chicago, IL.

He was a true child of the depression in the big city. In grammar school and high school he had a newspaper stand, a magazine route, and he delivered groceries for a neighborhood store. After finishing high school, he worked for two years for International Cellucotton (predecessor to Marathon Paper) in Chicago to earn enough money to attend college. He spent his first two years at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. While attending school there, he worked nights for the Pabst Brewing Co. He also worked in a steel mill in the summer after his sophomore year, and transferred to the U of Illinois in Champaigne-Urbana for his last two years. The summer after his junior year he worked for Goodyear Aircraft in Akron, Ohio in the design and testing of airships (“blimps”) for the Navy. He returned to Goodyear after finishing his senior year at Illinois to support the WW II effort. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois.

In June of 1944 John married his College Sweetheart, Joan Kelley.

After the war, John went to work for the Johns Manville Corporation as an industrial salesman for Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. He moved his family to Appleton in 1946, and continued working for JM for 35 years. His career allowed him to develop many long enduring friendships with business associates and customers.

In 1950 John designed a home for his family and worked along with the contractor during the construction period. In 1954 he built a cottage by himself without aid of electricity on Long Lake in Waushara County. The family enjoyed all the following summers there. He was the co-founder and first Commodore of the Long Lake Yacht Club. The club introduced people of all ages to the sport of sailing on M-16 Scows.

Big John always made himself available to help a friend, especially if it involved building something. He loved sailing, bird hunting with the family’s standard poodles, fishing, handball, tennis, golf, and life in general.

John and Joan were blessed with six children-Kathleen, Kerry, Sally, John, Kelley, and Gigi. They have two grandchildren-Joe and Ian. John is survived by a sister-Jean Sherwood, two nephews-Fred and Andy Sherwood, a niece-Mickey Schap, and two cousins-Bill Rosencrans and Lois Youngstrom.

A memorial Mass for John will be celebrated by Father Robert Karuhn at SACRED HEART Catholic Church, 222 East Fremont, Appleton on Thursday, September 27th at 11:00AM. Friends may call at the church on Thursday from 10:00AM until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been set up in John’s name for Cherry Meadows Hospice at 2500 Heritage Woods Drive, Appleton, WI 54915.

WICHMANN FUNERAL HOME
537 North Superior Street
Appleton 739-1231
www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com