He was born on June 22nd, 1943 in Trenton, Missouri, to Wendell and Dorothy Stephens. Later, he went to live with foster parents, Wilbur and Lorraine Vaughn in Spickard, MO. Earl attended Spickard High School where he racked up some Missouri MSHSAA basketball records that still stand to this day. He attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (now Truman State University) at Kirksville, MO, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. His first year of teaching was in Braymer, MO before entering the U.S. Navy, where he was very proud to serve in Vietnam aboard the USS Gridley (DLG-21).
With a Master’s Degree from Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri) at Warrensburg, he taught junior high and high school students in the North Kansas City School District for 32 years in subjects like Drafting, Industrial Arts, Crafts, and Driver’s Education.
Having his summers off, Earl took full advantage as an avid “road-tripper.” He never saw a scenic drive he didn’t want to take, and visited every U.S. state along with parts of Canada. Surely his greatest road trip feat was driving a Toyota Avalon with his wife Bonnie deep into Alaska on the endless dirt, gravel, and rut-filled roads.
Earl greatly enjoyed working out in his yard. He was phenomenal with planting trees, shrubs and flowers, building rock walls, wooden latticework and steps, and constantly improved the landscaping to the very end. He would lend a hand to neighbors with any outdoor tasks and happily shared everything he knew about lawn maintenance.
Earl was loved for his work out on the grill, grilling brats, hamburgers, pork steaks, burnt ends and more with wild abandon, and no visit to see him was complete without his homemade ice cream. Along with trying every single root beer he could get his hands on, he would constantly be on the lookout for other new snacks and foods, and his loving insistence that you tried them ensured you definitely wouldn’t leave hungry.
Truly, one can say that Earl never met a stranger, as he would chat up anyone and everyone. Earl’s spirit of adventure, and advice on every single thing from retirement savings to home improvement to outdoor and auto maintenance, along with his irreplaceable mentorship, will be missed more than words could ever convey.
He is survived by his wife Bonnie; his son Jason (and partner Jim Schnoebelen); sisters Peggy Jenkins, Judy (and husband Don) Munday, and Dolores Herring; and brothers Donald Lee (and wife Peggy), Olen (and wife Gloria), and Larry; along with numerous other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers-in-law.
We will always and forever hear Earl reminding us, “We don’t have any trains to catch.”
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation marked "in memory of Earl Stephens" to the Antioch Church of the Nazarene Building Fund (antiochnazarene.com), or to Boys Town (boystown.org).
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