Rob Stevenson was greatly admired and loved. There are many around the country however, and in far corners of the world, who could not attend Dad’s memorial service. So, this is a recap of the viewing, graveside service, and memorial service. I’m writing it up from memory, and I’ve included some videos and pictures as well. It is for those folks who couldn’t make it, for others who just want to remember, and for me.
It was two days after Dad passed away. The four boys and Mom sat down around the conference table with Pastor John to plan the memorial service. He started on a somber tone. It wasn’t long before one of us cracked a joke. I don’t remember the specifics, but it was surely inappropriate on some level given the setting. We all laughed. I peeked at Mom. She was smiling. I figured we’d be OK.
There were a few family members coming into town for the services, and we knew that Grandmother would want to see Dad one last time, so we had a private, open-casket viewing before the public “viewing” on Friday night. It was surprisingly difficult to close the casket. Even though we knew Dad wasn’t really there, it was a symbolic goodbye that was hard to say. There were many good things about that night as well. It was amazing to see all the family 
members who came. We never realized what an impact it would have on us to see them there. I will make it a point to attend funerals in the future to show love and compassion to the living who are left behind. It meant a lot. I particularly remember the girls from Ava’s softball team, the lady who works the desk at the racquetball YMCA where Dad always played, Dad’s students, and a couple of fellow, local beekeepers. Many others of course, and I can’t mention them all. It was a bittersweet time.
Saturday afternoon was the graveside service. I sat next to Grandmother Stevenson as the Navy Honors Detail folded the flag and presented it to Mom. Bill spoke a heartfelt prayer, and the grandkids put flowers on the casket before it was lowered into the ground. I don’t think any of us have been back to the cemetery since. Dad was buried with military honors. It was special. His experience in the Air Force, and even more so in the Navy, was a major factor in shaping who he became. He was always a man of discipline. He would get up early. He shaved every day. He loved his country.
The Memorial Service required the most planning. There were a few songs Mom wanted to do. They were upbeat, of course, and full of joy. There were stories we all wanted to tell. They were funny, of course, and offered insight into who Dad was and how he lived. Mom wanted a salvation message and a call to accept Jesus. We talked about opening the mic up to allow other folks to share, or maybe soliciting stories from people. In the end, we decided that Dad was too awesome for this, and it would go on interminably. We were aiming for 45 minutes. So, the plan was for me, Clay, Grant, Mark, and Bill to share stories, then to have Uncle Wayne share, and then we would pull some highlights from Facebook posts to represent what Dad meant to others. We all agreed and the plan was set.
Bryan’s Story: Dad was a kid at heart. He loved his family. He loved Mom.
Dad was always willing to try new things and have fun. Last Fall we went to Great Wolf Lodge. They have a cool wave ride called the Flowrider, not the rapper, the ride. He watched a few kids try it out and decided that he was going to do it and he was going to balance up on his hands and knees. I don’t think we saw anyone under 30 trying this thing, but Dad was going to give it a go. Here are the spectacular results.
Not only did Dad love to have fun, but he also loved to have fun with his kids and grandkids. When we were younger, much younger, you might find the boys of the Stevenson clan running around the house before bed. That’s fun in and of itself but add in the fact that we were butt naked and you’ve really got a party. The tradition of “running around butt naked” is long-lived and continues to this day, with the mantle currently carried by young Daelen, who is truly a pro. 🙂 However, somehow the Stevensons produced female grandchildren. This led to a slight adaptation of the original theme. No longer can the boys frolic completely free and unhindered, now we just go shirtless. It’s almost as fun, and sometimes granddaddy jumped in and participated in the fun. He loved playing with his grandkids and laughing, and we have proof. This is pretty much a typical Christmas gathering over at Mema and Granddaddy’s.
Dad also had a passion for strengthening marriages and families. He and mom have worked in various marriage ministries through the years, and they’ve always been an example of what a good, strong marriage should be. Here’s a video of Dad and Mom offering some sage advice to a newly married couple. You can see Dad’s easy laugh, and his love for his wife in this clip.
Mark’s Story: Raw Meat
It was a warm summer afternoon when I found out the stench in the garage was coming from our freezer chest. It was packed with hundreds of dollars of meat…that had gone bad. I quickly realized that it had been nearly a week that the freezer had been unplugged – and it was my fault. Regardless, I was left with the decision to either throw the dang thing away or 
get rid of the meat and get it cleaned up. Dad and I had several discussions and he convinced me to keep the freezer because it was a “good freezer” and he would help me take it to the landfill.
So one morning he and I loaded the freezer into his truck and drove up the landfill. I was dreading having to deal with the putrid smell as we lifted the lid. We got to the landfill and I got my gloves on and I was ready. I decided I was going to throw the meat off my side of the truck and he was going to throw it off his side to prevent anyone from getting hit with this nastiness. On the count of 3, we held our breaths, lifted the lid, and started grabbing bags of meat and throwing them out. I lasted all of 10 seconds before I was leaning over the truck gagging so hard I couldn’t move. Dad’s looking over at me shaking his head and saying I was a baby. 🙂
I quickly got back to throwing the bags over the side of the truck when I say to dad, “Dad you’re not wearing your gloves.” He looks down and realizes this fact as they’re covered with nasty raw meat juices. He says, “Oh well” and keeps on with the task at hand. We eventually got everything thrown away and got the freezer back to the house to get it sprayed out ready for use again.
This story just goes to show that he was willing to help us with anything. He was always there when we called him or texted him for help. He was like that with everyone. He didn’t care what the task was, even if it involved throwing away pounds and pounds of spoiled meat.
Clay’s Story: The Pranking Teacher
I like to remember Dad as someone who loved to laugh. He had a low “laugh threshold” which means that he laughed easily. This translated to pretty much every area of his life, and it was great for the family because it was always fun, and let’s be honest, relatively easy to get Dad to laugh. He loved to make other people laugh too, like when he would do an insect demonstration for our schools when we were younger. He’d hold a roach, talk about it for a 
while, tell the group he was going to do an experiment to see if the roach could fly, and then toss a plastic roach into the audience. You can imagine the pandemonium that erupted. Then he’d take it to the next level and talk about how some people ate roaches. He’d reach down, pick up a baby Three Musketeers, and pop it in his mouth. It was chaos. He continued these hijinx when he started teaching middle school life science, and the results were just as chaotic and just as fun. His students always had fun, and they learned a lot. His students loved him. Here’s a video of one of his classic critter races. The kids really get into it toward the end.
Grant’s Story: Reese’s With Extra Protein
This story goes back to our days in the Philippines. We were elementary school-aged, and Mark was just a baby. Dad was well known for his ability to put down some sweets. One evening we were sitting around the kitchen table after dinner with a bag of Reese’s peanut butter 
cups. We were all partaking in the goodness, but of course, Dad was popping them in his mouth so fast that it seemed as if were swallowing them whole. There was a pile of shredded wrappers littering the table around him. Then, one of the kids broke a Reese’s in half and noticed something moving inside. There were a bunch of tiny little white worms or grubs burrowing around inside the creamy peanut butter. Maybe it was only that one Reese’s cup that had the worms in it? We opened the rest of the cups in the bag. Every single one of them had bunches of small worms squirming around happily inside the sugary treat. Dad ate dozens of those things, and it didn’t phase him at all, but to this day, the rest of us break our Reese’s cups in half before eating them.
Bill’s Story: The Servant Leader
Pastor Rob understood what it meant to be a pastor. He lived as an example of servanthood, righteousness, and love. His ministry was defined by integrity and by helping others. When people needed help moving, he was there, lugging books and boxes. When someone’s car broke down, he was there with a wrench and just enough knowledge to be dangerous. He would vacuum the church, clean the restrooms, and set up the sound system. He preached the word, counseled, and readily encouraged and hugged anyone who needed it. He was a Dad to so many who didn’t have a good example of what a Dad was. He was a friend to those who didn’t understand true friendship. He could minister to the elderly or the youth, even if he did think Beyonce was pronounced “Bey Once.” There wasn’t anyone better at being a mentor and a friend. He lived the Christ-like life, and he was an example to all of us.
Uncle Wayne: The Legacy
Uncle Wayne shared that Dad’s legacy was secure in his children and grandchildren. He shared from Psalms 127:3-5 and described the heritage that Dad left in his children. We are the arrows that he shot. We’re still moving, flying forward in the direction we were aimed. The works we do are a testimony of who Dad was.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
Facebook Posts:
Houston wrote: “Pastor Rob graduated to Heaven this morning. Though it’s hard for everyone here, the truth is that he wouldn’t come back if he could. What a better way to spend a Wednesday morning than in then hanging out with Jesus? I do wish, though, that I could have been schooled by his patented Holy Ghost Hook Shot one last time. What a legacy of love he’s left behind! I’m really looking forward to seeing him again. Praying for our entire A2 family.”
Tim wrote: “Don’t forget to carry on your dad’s legacy: breaking something when helping somebody move to a new house…”
Deborah wrote: “I’d like to take a moment to honor the memory of a man who enormously blessed my family. Pastor Rob Stevenson, you accepted all the students that came to your church as family and treated us like we’d be there forever. You never held back, but loved us with the love of our Father. You were an example of love, redemption, joy, forgiveness and living in the truth to us all. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. We will miss you and can’t wait to see you again.”
Kevin wrote: “I am so sorry for your family’s loss. Your dad will be greatly missed. We so loved him. Michael’s desire to study parasites is because of your dad’s influence in his life. You guys, his sons are a legacy to how great a father and example he is. He showed me how to be a great father. I am so much the better person for having known him.”
Brandon wrote: ‘RIP to my old life science teacher back in 8th grade. You were an amazing teacher. Such a great man. You made me love science. Why I am going to school for science. You will be forever missed by many students at Indian River Middle School.”
Emil wrote: “Wanted to go see Superman instead I’m saying goodbye to him tonite. RIP”
Memorial Service Media
We captured some pictures of the memorial service, as well as some video clips. First the pictures, and then scroll to the bottom for the video. It is well worth it.
Notice all the smiling faces and laughter. I’m sure it was exactly how Dad wanted it to be.
Here is the video footage. We’ve got some of the music, some of Pastor John’s thoughts, and some of the laughter that was always a part of Dad’s life. Hug your family and friends. Let laughter be a part of your life, and live out your calling! Be blessed.