William "Bill" R. Stephens Jr.

William Richard Stephens, Jr. was born in Lansing, Mi on July 3, 1947 to William Sr. and Mary Stephens (Leitz). The second of four children, he spent his childhood on the move with his Air Force family. Sioux City IA, Petaluma CA, Essex Junction VT, Rome NY and even Ramstein Germany were all places he called home. High school years in New York left him with a special fondness for the 1000 Islands Region.

After his graduation from Rome Free Academy the family moved back to Lansing and Bill enlisted in the US Army. He served from 1965-1969 with a tour of active duty in Vietnam (1967-68). He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his excellence in the direction of artillery fire throughout the Cochise area of operation. After leaving the regular Army he continued serving as an Army reservist stationed in Germany. Again, in 1978, he enlisted for a 12 year tour with the Michigan National Guard, 46th Military Police Co. One of the most memorable deployments was to Indiantown Gap, PA to assist with the mass influx of 125,000 Cuban refugees released by Castro during the Mariel Boatlift.

Following his Army discharge, Billl returned to his parents’ home in Lansing and found employment at Michigan Bell Telephone. He would spend 33 years there in Construction, Engineering and Repair, retiring in 2002. He was a lineman at heart, enjoying the field construction much more than the deskwork and would share many good stories about working on projects throughout the Lansing, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Detroit area.

In 1970 he married Nancy Federau (Lardie) and together they raised two boys, Kevin and Scott, in Laingsburg, MI. Life included softball for Bill, sports for the boys and summers on Silver Lake. Bill and Nancy would later separate but continue to support the boys as they began their own families. First grandchild Brooke was born in South Dakota then moved to England as her Dad Scott finished his tour in the Air Force. When they moved back to Mason MI, Grandpa would see Brooke become a beautiful young woman finishing her college degree. Next came Morgan and Colton, with parents Kevin and Kristi building a home in Eagle. The kids learned to swim in “Bonka’s” pool and Bill became a regular at Grand Ledge athletic fields. Seeing the bond between brother and sister, he knew they would be successful through High School and beyond.

Bill loved being on the road and it showed in his passion for cars and motorcycles. In the mid 90’s he rode his Harley with fellow Lansing Capitol HOG members, often joined by Beverly. Bill and Bev along with her young son Todd formed a new household in East Lansing and on Leap Day 2000, found time to get married. Whether it was a bike ride in Alaska, Spring Break throughout the US or Thanksgiving at their vacation home in Naples, FL, Bill was always ready for a drive.

His ride here on earth ended Thursday October 30, 2014 at his home in East Lansing surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Barry (Evelyn). He leaves wife Beverly (Bierylo), sons Kevin (Kristi) Stephens, Scott (Angela) Stephens, step-son Todd Burkhart, brother Robert (Nancy) Stephens, sister Mary Harris (Michael), dear grandchildren Brooke, Morgan and Colton, nieces and nephews Katherine, Robert , Michael and Mary. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery. On line condolences may be made at www.greastlansing.com.