Daisy L. Stevenson

Mrs. Daisy L. Stevenson, 96, of Gaithersburg, Md., died peacefully Thursday, July 15, 2010, with her two daughters by her side. Daisy was born March 18, 1914, in Huntington, W.Va. Her parents were Victor and Myrtle (Taylor) Beuhring. She received her education in the public schools and a business school there. While working at her first job away from home in Athens, Ohio, she met a young engineer who would become the love of her life. She and Thomas G. Stevenson were married on March 5, 1941. After his service in World War II, the couple moved to Parkesburg, W.Va., where they raised their daughters. Daisy and Tom were each other’s constant, loving companion until his death in 1984. Daisy, a soft-spoken gentlewoman with a lilting southern accent, was a lover of nature and the arts. She encouraged her daughters to sing, play the piano, dance, and paint. Above all, she devoted her life to the care and well-being of her family. Her daughters recall her absolute loyalty and unconditional love throughout their lives. She took great delight in watching her grandsons grow into kind and generous men. Her five great-grandchldren brought additional joy into her life. Daisy always dreamed of traveling and seeing places she had read about. She was 79 when she first visited Europe to see the Alps of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and Italy. She later traveled to Ireland, Scotland, and England. A 1996 vacation took Daisy to numerous national parks in the American West, from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone. The trip, taken when she was 82, was a celebration of her love of nature’s majestic beauty. To the end of her life she remained inquisitive and joyful. Daisy is survived by her daughters and son-in-law, Signe Sheldon of New Hartford, and Susan and Dick Carelli of Gaithersburg, Md.; two grandsons and their wives, Scott and Susan Sheldon of Corning, N.Y., and Brian and Amy Sheldon of Groveland, N.Y.; and five great-grandchildren, Grace, Michael, Caroline, Nick, and Daisy Sheldon; her much-beloved sister, Louise Ascough of Winter Park, Fla.,; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brothers Harold, Fred, Donald and Billy; her sister, Irene; and her son-in-law, Herbert Sheldon Jr. Her funeral service will be held on Monday, July 19, at 10 a.m. at the New Hartford Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Dr. Janet Hoover officiating. She will be buried alongside her husband in Oak Park Cemetery in New Castle, Pa. Daisy’s family would like to thank the staff at the Allen Calder Wing of St. Luke’s and the Faxton-St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Center, as well as to Hospice for the care and compassion given to her. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.