Obituaries

John Allen Stephens

Photo of John Allen Stephens
John Allen Stephens, 57, was born in Fayetteville, Ark., on September 19, 1960, the son of Lloyd Wesley and Wanda Brewer Stephens. He passed away peacefully in his home in Springdale sometime Tuesday, March 27, and was found there Thursday, March 29, 2018, after his family could not reach him for two days. He apparently had experienced some coronary event and seizure, probably in his sleep. Thankfully he was not alone, as his cat and very loving dog were with him. His childhood was during a time when it was safe to let kids run free in the neighborhood, and he took full advantage of that. He was the only boy in the family with three sisters. That, of course, brought some challenges. His lifelong friend, George Alison, became the brother he never had, and they certainly were adventurous. They were avid bicycle riders and went all over Northwest Arkansas. John was active in Boy Scouts, and his design was chosen for the patch commemorating the 25th year of Camp Orr. He was a member of Central United Methodist church and the youth choir with whom he appeared on a vinyl album. He studied civil engineering for two years at the University of Arkansas remained a proud Razorback fan. He was very intelligent, yet chose to move in a new direction. His first professional job was with the Arkansas State Highway Department, where he was very involved in the earliest stages of what has become Interstate 49 from the north end of Fayetteville. During his surveying, he had to brave the elements, the rough terrain, huge spiders, angry cattle, and sometimes even angrier landowners. He also served as an inspector, and was responsible to see that the paving materials were up to specifications. The biggest part of his career was with Dayco, which deals with automotive parts, especially belts and belt tensioners. He began there when the company was in its infancy in the Genesis incubator program of the College of Engineering that helped jump-start tech based companies. John was proud of his over-30-year career with them, serving them in several areas and traveling to their suppliers many times to represent the company. His vehicles were a joy to him, having had a juiced up sports car, a limited edition Fire Bird Trans Am GTA, and an amphibian 6-wheeler, among others. Of course the faster, the better. John is survived by his mother; sisters Donna Stephens of Fayetteville, Susie Edwards and husband David of California, and Ruth Soller and husband Steve of Colorado; nephews Justin Edwards, Steven Soller, and Jeremy Soller and wife Dai Zhu; niece Sara Edwards and husband Khail Smith; and four first cousins and their families. Visitation will be at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home in Fayetteville on Wednesday, April 4 from 5-7 p.m., and the funeral will be at Nelson-Berna on Thursday, with doors open at 10 a.m. and the service beginning at 11 a.m. A brief graveside service will follow at Fairview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville. To sign the online guest book, visit www.nelsonberna.com.

Published April 3, 2018

Upcoming Events