Mary Stevens

Mary Louise Stevens, 89, passed away peacefully in Tucson, Arizona on July 5th.

Mary grew up in East Boston, MA loving art, cinema, the outdoors, speed skating and acting on the radio. She flourished in school. She and her older sister Jean were the first college graduates in their family, both earning master’s degrees from Salem Teachers College. While working as a teacher, Mary met her husband, Edward Stevens, a former Naval Officer and graduate student, at a dance and they married in 1961.

She and Ed had four children together, and eventually relocated to Richland, WA. Mary was a passionate grade school teacher for over two decades at Marcus Whitman Elementary in Richland. She retired in 1992 and moved to Tucson in 2007 to be near family. Throughout her life, Mary traveled the world, including China, Russia, Tibet, Antarctica, Africa and Iceland, and her beloved Alaska.

Mary was dedicated to her family and her calm, loving demeanor made for a warm, welcoming home. Mary was a mother to many, including five foster daughters; she also welcomed visiting international teachers, and cared for many rescue animals.

Mary was a devout follower of Jesus and frequent Lector at Christ the King Catholic Church in Richland, WA, reading scriptures and celebrating mass. You could often find Mary praying and talking about Jesus with family and friends.

Mary was preceded in death by her sister, Jean, husband, Ed Stevens, and daughter, Ann Stevens. She is survived by her sons Tom (Luisa) and Paul (Katherine), daughter Jean, and five grandchildren (Nicholas, Dane, Owen, Henry, and Jesse).

A mass celebrating Mary’s life will be held on Friday July 26, 2024 at 10 am at St. Cyril's Catholic Church in Tucson, AZ. Mary was a 40+ year breast cancer survivor. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Komen Race for the Cure at www.Komen.org or to Doctors Without Borders at doctorswithoutborders.org.