Obituary of David Farrington Stevens

David F. Stevens, 89, born and raised in Greenwich, died peacefully at his home in Stamford on June 21st. Dave was known by peers and family for his sense of adventure, the longest of which began in Cos Cob in 1938 when he met his future wife, Elizabeth (Lil) O'Keefe. After graduating from Greenwich High School in 1943, Dave enlisted in the Marines to serve in WWII. His mechanical aptitude sent him to NAT TC Memphis and on to the Philippines as a sergeant aviation mechanic. Back home, Dave opened a service station in Cos Cob before joining Palmer Engine Co. as manager of Long Island marine engine sales. He became president of Palmer in 1972 and continued with its successor, Thermo Electron Corp., until moving to Pt. Pleasant NJ in 1978 to open Stevens Cruiser Sales, Brick NJ with his brother Doug. In 1986 Dave and Lil moved to Sewell's Point and Hobe Sound, FL. They returned north last fall. A passionate boater, Dave loved taking his family to Greenwich Cove, fishing on the Sound, even a trip up the Hudson to Montreal. He instilled in his seven children a love of salt water and of gardening, of painting and repairs, along with a hard-working, do-it-yourself independence at home or at work. He was immensely proud that all seven attended college, the first generation of Stevens to do so. Dave's life and legacy is celebrated by his wife of 68 years and best friend of 76, Elizabeth O'Keefe Stevens, and by the boisterous loving family they created: David J. Stevens and wife Cindy, Cockeysville MD; Diane Stevens, New Preston & Cos Cob CT; Douglas Stevens, Stamford CT; Denise Arturi and husband Peter, Washington CT; Dawn Stevens and husband William Doyle, Old Greenwich CT; Dona Yasser and husband Ed, Oakhurst NJ; and Deborah Stevens, Stamford CT. Dave was loved as "Pop" by 16 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, and will be missed as a brother by Johanna O'Keefe Faughnan and Theresa O'Keefe Swift, plus many nieces and nephews. All are blessed with the lessons and love Dave gave, the strength and the feeling of safety, the ethic of hard work and hard play he modeled and always, from childhood on, the fact that wherever he was, excitement was, too. Dave was predeceased by his parents, Harold H. Stevens and Elizabeth Farrington Stevens; his brother, Douglas G. Stevens; his sister, Nancy Stevens Hotchkiss, and a family ancestry reaching back to the founding of Greenwich. There will be no ceremony at this time and the family requests that no flowers be sent. The family would like to thank Vitas Healthcare for their loving care of Dave. Read David Stevens's Obituary and Guestbook.