Herbert Stevens, 82

Herbert "Dean" Stevens, a longtime teacher and public servant known for his generous spirit and outgoing personality, died June 9 after a brief battle with brain cancer. He was 82.

Born on June 6, 1929, at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, to Herbert Bolles and Olive Louisa Stevens, Dean was one of three siblings raised on the family farm in Worley. Herbert and Olive farmed with Herbert's younger brother Homer and Homer's wife, Edna; their two children, Harold and Judy, were also close to Dean and his siblings. It was in Worley that Dean developed an enduring friendship with his neighbors in the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

Dean graduated from Worley High as salutatorian in 1947. He studied at the University of Idaho, where he was a member of the US Air Force ROTC and met his future wife Kathleen Stevens, daughter of W.E. and Carrie Stevens, of Priest Lake. He and Kathleen were married in 1951. Dean and Kathy met their lifelong friends Tommy and Shirley Ball Ambrose while they were students at the U of I.

After graduation, Dean served in the US Air Force from 1952-1954, and then returned to Worley, to work on the family farm and teach vocational agriculture at Plummer High School. Dean's brother Keith was killed in a grain elevator accident during this time. Keith's wife Jody gave birth to a son, also named Keith, after this accident. Dean remained close to his nephew Keith for the rest of his life. Dean and Kathy's two children Matthew and Melissa were born while the family lived in Worley.

In 1963, Dean and his family moved to Priest River, where he taught biology and earth science at Priest River High School and helped Kathleen's parents operate Granite Creek Marina on Priest Lake. It was also in Priest River that Dean and Kathy formed lasting friendships with Fay and Albert Wah, and their children.

Dean taught in Bonner County from 1962-1986. During these years he touched many lives. He started a club at Priest River High School to teach students about the care of the environment, which coincided with the first Earth Day, and he started a ski club at the high school so that every student would have the opportunity to learn to ski at Schweitzer Basin. He and Kathy welcomed foreign exchange students into the family home, which led to an abiding friendship with Tony Gomez and Pecky (Gomez) Cox, originally from Mexico City.

It was during these years that Dean became both an environmental advocate and a leader in the local Democratic Party. In the early 1970s, Dean and Ken Miller of the Sandpoint Daily Bee attended the US Forest Service public hearings and provided the sole voices against clear-cut logging. In the 1980s Dean helped found the organization that is now the Selkirk Conservation Alliance to successfully fight the development of a destination ski resort, city, and micro-hydro dams on the east side of Priest Lake.

Dean's wife Kathy died of breast cancer in 1977. After her death, Dean returned to school to pursue a master's degree in counseling at Whitworth College.

In 1980, Dean married Carla Libby Frederick, who moved to Priest Lake to teach in Bonner County. Dean ran for the District 2 seat on the Bonner County Commission in 1987 and served as a Bonner County Commissioner until 1993. After this, he was appointed by Cecil Andrus to the Idaho State House of Representatives.

Dean thought of himself not as a politician, but as a public servant. As a public servant, Dean focused on improving the lives of his constituents and protecting the environment. Among his accomplishments, he was responsible for the rebuilding of the bridge crossing the Pend Oreille River between Priest River and Dufort Road, completion of the West Bonner County Park in Priest River, and the installation of the stoplight at the intersection of Highways 2 and 57. Dean made it possible for the county to acquire the East Twin Island at Priest Lake.

After Dean retired from public service, he embarked on a new career and started Stevens Stump Grinding Service. He remained active in the operation of Granite Creek Marina until his death. Dean was an active member of the Democratic Party, the Idaho Conservation League, the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, the Senior Companion Program, the Friends of the Library, the Hoodoo Valley Hoedowners, and the Happy Agers.

Dean was also an avid photographer, farmer, woodworker, fisherman, skier, and an excellent cook. He loved old tractors, old cars, and old guns. He also loved family history and storytelling. He and Carla also enjoyed square dancing, gatherings of family and friends, music and theater, and travel. However, Dean will be most remembered for his generosity of spirit, as he continued to help others through mentoring long after his final retirement.

In March of this year, Dean was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Throughout surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, Dean always kept a positive attitude and had a ready smile for all who came to visit him. When asked how he was, he invariably answered "I am thriving."

Dean is survived by his wife, Carla; his children, Matthew (Shannon) Stevens and Melissa Quilter (Michael Freeling); his stepchildren, Brooke (Mary) Frederick, Rick Frederick, and Rob Frederick; his grandchildren, Kyland and Claira Stevens, Alexander and Kathleen (Kate) Quilter, Jamie Lynn, Ashley, Mary Margaret, Michael, Cameron, and Brandt Frederick; his sister, Leila Stevens Hickman; her children, Vaughn (Patti), Kent (Gini) and Carolyn (Jerry), and their children and grandchild; his nephew Keith; and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces, and friends.

Dean will be long remembered by the many people whose lives he touched; he will be deeply missed by all.

Donations may be made in Dean's name to either the Priest River Friends of the Library Building Fund (attn: Jean Elsaesser), 118 Main Street, Priest River, ID 83856, or the Selkirk Conservation Alliance, P.O. Box 1809, Priest River, ID 83856. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 9, 2011, at Priest River Junior High School.

Sherman-Knapp Funeral Home in Priest River is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at sherman-knapp.com.