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Darrell Stevens Obituary
Retired Judge Darrell W. Stevens, born February 20, 1938 in Houston, Texas, to Helen del Castillo and Darrell Warren Stevens, passed away on March 18, 2008. Judge Stevens is survived by his loving wife, Kay, who shared his life for 32 years; seven beloved children and their spouses, Tamy Wilson (John), Karyn Stevens, Laura Nield (Tom), Matthew Stevens (Carolyn), Daniel Ovist, Colleen Arellano (Joe), and Sean Stevens (Melissa); 11 grandchildren in whom he delighted, as well as four brothers and two sisters, Debbra Hart, Jeffrey Brook, Mathew Brook, Michael Stevens, Vance Stevens, and Leslie MacLean.
Judge Stevens accomplished a tremendous amount during his lifetime and was best known for his lifelong devotion to helping others live purposeful lives, often by means of turning around lives that were full of despair. In pursuit of helping people help themselves, Judge Stevens pioneered the Butte County Drug Court, which became a model for similar court programs throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries. He received national acclaim and many awards for his innovative approach and tireless work towards rehabilitation of individuals through the use of the drug court program.
Judge Stevens devoted himself to his community, helping to establish the Boys and Girls Club of Chico; dedicating himself to years of work with the Rotary clubs of Oroville and Chico, with distinguished presidencies of both; serving as Inaugural President of the Oroville Industrial Development Corporation; Chair of the Butte County Salvation Army Advisory Board; Charter Member, Board of Directors, Butte College Foundation; Chair of the Butte County United Way Campaign; Chair of the Butte County Boy Scouts Campaign; member of the Cal State Chico Community Advisory Board; and was a member of numerous other non-profit boards and commissions.
Judge Stevens was admitted to the California State Bar in 1966 and practiced law in Butte County, serving on the Board of Governors of the State Bar Association of California, as well as president of the Butte County Bar Association. In 1989 he was appointed judge of the Superior Court by Governor Deukmejian where he served until retiring in 2005. Following retirement, Judge Stevens continued to sit as a visiting judge throughout California and traveled nationally as a much sought after speaker/advocate for the drug court model he established in Butte County.
Judge Stevens traveled internationally throughout his life, was an amateur photographer, loved golf, visited often with his loving children and grandchildren, and walked daily in Bidwell Park where he embraced his love of people, nature, and healthy activity. He lived by and exemplified the simple rule that one should leave the world a better place than they found it.
Services, under the direction of Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home, will be held on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. at Neighborhood Church of Chico, 2801 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico, CA.
Flowers may be sent, c/o Newton-Bracewell or a donation in memory of Judge Stevens may be made to any one of his favorite charities mentioned above.
You may honor Darrell with your thoughts online at nbcfh.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Darrell Stevens
Gayle Dunn
March 28, 2008
Dear Kay & Family,
I was so sorry to hear of your loss. I had the pleasure of working with Judge Stevens for many, many years.
In his Courtroom you always had to work hard, but outside the Courtroom we also played hard. I would like to share with you one of my favorite memories of Judge. It was the Halloween season & one of my fellow Court Clerks had brought in one of those "fake feet" that you stick in your trunk & it looks like a real persons foot hanging from it. I asked her if I could "borrow" it from her for Court that day. It so happened that it was arraignment day & we had a Courtroom FULL of people & approximately 3 metal buckets full of files to get thru that morning. I pulled a bucket full of files forward & stuck the "foot" all the way in the back & hauled them into the Courtroom. Before we began, I advised Judge that we had a very sick person in the Courtroom who had asked for her file to be called first. I handed him a note with the name "Ima Foote" on it. Well. . . as we entered the Courtroom I knew that I was either going to be held in contempt of Court or fired or both OR he was gonna get a huge kick out of it. (I prayed for the latter) He entered the bench & was looking thru the files for "Ima Foote" & asked me where it was. I advised him that "the file" was in the very back of the bucket. He pulled the files forward & JUMPED about three feet out of his chair. The look he gave me at that time was priceless! He pulled "Ima Foote" out of the bucket, held it up above his head & announced to the packed Courtroom that the Clerk had just asked him to pull the "Ima Foote" file! THE CROWD WENT WILD!!! As you can imagine it took a few minutes for the Courtroom to settle down whereupon Judge THREW "Ima Foote" at me! It was a day I will never forget . . .
Thank-you, Judge Stevens for allowing me to be a part of your life. You will be sorely missed. God's Blessings to you & your family.
Deborah Stenberg-Gray
March 26, 2008
Your Honor and great friend, Darrell- you were one of my dads best friends(Richard Steberg), my moms(Carol Stenberg)guidance of a friend, and my first and best lawyer. You were a blessing to my family and myself. You are a qifted, wonderful human being who always looked out for your friends(clients). You will be without a doubt truly missed. I am so very sorry for your wife,Kay, and your family. My love goes out to them. God bless and all my love, Deborah Stenberg Gray and daughters Tracy Stevens and Tammy Cummings
Steve D'Arca
March 26, 2008
Dear Kay and Family, We here in Dana Point are all in shock. I had just really got to know him because of all the work he let me do on your place here . He trusted me with taking care of your home away from home. Really going to miss him. And Kay, you know you can count on me to take care of whatever on this end. God Bless and and take care of yourself. Keep in touch by e'mail. Your Friends in D.P. Steve & Betsy D'Arca
KayDee Stevens
March 25, 2008
My dear sweet Judge Stevens, You saved my life! You saw gifts in me long before I did. You believed in me when i could not. My dear sir, i do believe now and you started it! I promise to continue to pass it on. I have only been in your presence a few times and each time you took time to tease me about the family name. I am proud to say that I have up held the family name since 1992. You will be part of my heart always and forever. I can only hope to do half the good you created in Butte County
Erica Tatum
March 25, 2008
I had the distinct honor of working with Judge Stevens in the Proposition 36 program. As a young probation officer, I couldn't ask for a greater teacher and I will always carry a great level of respect and admiration for him.
Thank you, Your Honor, for your legendary starfish story, for your demand for greatness in everything you did, and for your compassion and passion for the people of Butte County. It was a pleasure working for you.
Lauri Heuker
March 25, 2008
My deepest sympathies to the Stevens family and all whose life Judge Stevens impacted. While I never knew him personally I am fortunate to have his son Sean as a good friend and business associate who has many of the great traits of his father as described in the numerous tributes written this last week. God bless as you move through this difficult time.
Father Harry Allagree
March 24, 2008
Dear Kay,
I was honored to have Darrell and you as parishioners while I was Rector at St. John's Episcopal Church, Chico. We also enjoyed some happy social times together. My prayers are with you and your family; I'll be with you in spirit on Wednesday. May the hope and peace of the Risen Christ be with you always.
KL & Carol Johnson
March 24, 2008
"People pass on, but their memory lives on in our hearts".
We will always be grateful for the time that we were lucky enough to know Darrell.
Kay, our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family. Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to help you through this trying time.
Jerry Smith
March 24, 2008
Kay and Family--When I read about Darrell I was shocked. Darrell always seemed so lively, vigorous, & witty that I just couldn't believe he was gone. I always bantered with him & he loved it and gave it right back to me. You are in my thoughts.
WRS WRS
March 24, 2008
THE RIPPLE EFFECT~
That is what I think of when I think of this man. He touched so many who stood before him, but really it went much deeper than that. He helped me to be a great mom, I in return have helped my children to rise up and be better than they ever thought they could be. They in return have gone on to help their friends to be good people and so on~ I have been blessed to stand before him on what I thought was the worst day of my life. I can see now how God used him as an Instrument in my life as well as all those who I am in contact with. Mr. Stevens was a gentleman, which for me means a "Gentle Man" He will always be fondly thought of as the RIPPLE EFFECT in our family~ I am sure heaven is rejoicing to have him home~
April Sonnenburg
March 23, 2008
I interned for the Butte County Probation Dept. while I was a senior @ CSUC. I was assigned to the Drug Court Program which was something I didn't even know existed until then.
I went to court weekly with the participants and was surprised by Judge Stevens. Yes, he held people accountable for their choices & actions, but he was also kind & fair. He genuinely wanted everyone before him to succeed. I soon learned that he was also like that off the bench as well. Judge Stevens is one of the reasons I fell in love with probation work which led me to my current career as a probation officer.
I send my prayers & thoughts to the Stevens family. I'm so sorry for your loss.
joan bennett
March 23, 2008
I worked for Darrell & Kay and yes the man did so much for our community, but he had the greatest sense of humor of any one i have ever known. I will miss his smile and the twinkle in his eyes.
And Darrell if your reading this, I didn't really sell your pant's on eBay.
Joni Bennett
Ronda Brunson
March 22, 2008
My sympathy to the family for their loss. It was an honor to have known him and worked with him over the years. He was a genuine social worker at heart who went above and beyond the call of duty to make a positive difference for others. He will be so missed.
Hartley Weichert Jr.
March 22, 2008
I was privileged to meet Darrell when he first came to Oroville to establish his first practice. I was manager of BofA then and granted a character loan to Darrell to set up his office near the bank. We became very good friends and worked together on community projects. He was truly a very special man and I will miss him but will treasure the honor of knowing him.
Tammy Thompson
March 22, 2008
My heart goes out to his family. I meet Judge Stevens in Drug Court in 2000. I graduated in 18mths and he was so proud of me he even had a few reporters call me for my story. You will be missed by myself and others. I thank you for helping my life.
Sean Stevens
March 21, 2008
He was an extraordinary man. One of the many things he taught me was to treat everyone with respect. Early in life I assumed this was because you never know who you'll work for:) Over the years I learned it was because he was a kind, fair man who believed everyone deserved to be treated equally. Oh, and that you should eat french fries with a fork and you can never have to many napkins (my children still tease me).
His Loving son, Sean
Mary Fox Halldorson
March 21, 2008
Dear Kay and Family
I am so sad to hear of Darrell's passing. I so enjoyed the years that we were neighbors. He truly was one of the nicest men that I have ever met. I will always remember the favor that he did for my son, Ken. Deepest sympathy in your loss and condolences from me and my family
Mary Halldorson
Steve & Karen Acker
March 21, 2008
Dearest Family: Our Deepest sympathy goes out to all of you. I am so sorry for your loss. He was an extraordinary man who will be missed my many. If there is anything we can do, please let us know. Our prayers are with you.
Marcy Perrucci-DeMartile
March 21, 2008
Dear Stevens Family,
My sincerest and heartfelt condolences during this time. Thank you all for sharing this amazing human being with all of us. He was admired and respected by everyone.
Kristal Lockard
March 21, 2008
I never had the opportunity to personaly meet Judge Stevens, but having the opportunity to be friends with his lovely daughter Colleen testifies to his kindness and love. God Bless Him and his family during this difficult time.
Mona Lisa
March 21, 2008
Stevens Family and all those who thought so much of Judge Stevens,
I am sending my condolences to you all.
I first became aware of Judge Stevens when my Daughter interned with him while she was getting her degree in Public Admin. and Criminal Justice.
She thought so much of him, she would come home everyday and share something she learned. She had great respect for him. She also liked his Drug Program.
Since that time, I have watched and read about him.
He was an honorable and love filled man. He made a difference in so many lives.
I am so very sorry for your loss and for all of us who have been touched by his life.
Yours in great respect,
George Robison
March 21, 2008
I met Darrell when I moved to Oroville in 1974, although we became better acquainted after he became Judge of the Chico Municipal Court. He did a terrific job in that Court and seemed to love the job. His Drug Court became a show piece and example for others. Although I hadn't seen Darrell in several years, I know that he will be missed by the entire community.
Colleen Arellano
March 21, 2008
Dad,
I miss you so much. My heart is heavy and hurting. But I am so very grateful for the time we had and so happy I was able to spend the day with you on Saturday. I will always treasure that memory, as will my children. I am so very proud to be your daughter. You are an amazing man and were loved by SO many. We will carry on where you left off and always be there for Kay, as you would have wanted.
All my love, forever and a day,
Coll
Arthur & Ellen Gamon
March 21, 2008
We tasted wine with Darrell and Kay, and I dealt with them in my line of work. This was a genuinely GOOD and DECENT man. My wife and I will miss him. His death has left a void in the fabric of the kindness and decency that counteracts the poverty and sadness of the human spirit. Best to you Kay, and your family members in this horrible event.
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