Wilmer B. "Bill" Stevens

1922 - 2015

Wilmer (Bill) B. Stevens, Col. U.S. Army, retired, passed away peacefully in the presence of family members on Feb. 24, 2015 at his home in Wakefield, R.I. He was 93 years old.
Bill was born in Damariscotta, Maine on Jan. 21, 1922, the son of the late Ansel H. Stevens and Gladys (Parlin) Stevens. He was one of ten siblings and spent his youth on the family dairy farm in Canton Point, Maine.
Bill joined the U.S. Army in January of 1940. After completing basic training, Bill transferred to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, and was subsequently assigned to Fort Shafter, Hawaii, in late 1940.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Bill was the 19 year-old Army Private who received the delayed warning message of an impending attack on Pearl Harbor. It arrived during the lull between the first and second attacks.
Bill completed a 29-year career of exemplary military service, retiring in 1968. He rose from the rank of Private to Full Colonel, and participated in the landings at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp, and served as a military advisor in Vietnam. His medals include: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Commendation Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, Exemplary Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal with Battle Star, European Campaign Medal with Five Battle Stars, Pacific Campaign Medal with One Battle Star, American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Armed Forces Expedition Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal.
His career took his family to Army installations throughout the U.S. and Europe, including Heidelberg and Frankfurt Germany; Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and the Washington, D.C. area.
Bill earned his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Maryland in 1963. After retiring from the Army, he worked at Bell Aerospace in Buffalo, N.Y., and in 1976 earned his J.D. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Bill and his wife Nancy relocated to Rangeley, Maine in 1976, where he practiced law until his third retirement in 1991. Bill and Nancy divided their time between their cabin on Kennebago Lake and their winter home in Naples, Fla. until 2005, when they built a home in Wakefield to be closer to family.
Bill was an avid fly fisher, hunter, paddler and golfer. He loved nothing better than a pre-dawn rise and a brisk hike to his favorite fishing spot on the Kennebago River. He was a longtime active member of the Rangeley Region Guides and Sportsman's Association.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Pam Faust, and her husband David of Wakefield, R.I.; his son, Bill, and his wife Janice of Kennebago Lake and Punta Gorda, Fla.; granddaughters Sasha Faust of Wakefield, R.I. and Hillarie O'Toole and her husband Tom of New York City; and grandsons Kyle Faust of Wakefield, R.I. and Jordan Faust of Minneapolis, Minn. He was predeceased by his wife, Nancy, and his eldest daughter, Carol.
A private Celebration of his Life will be held at his daughter's home in the spring. Col. Stevens will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. with full military honors. His and his wife's ashes will be buried together there this coming summer. There will also be a Memorial Service at his camp on Kennebago Lake in the summer.
Bill leaves behind a legacy of family commitment, love and responsibility. He will be always in our hearts. Although no words can sum up his life, some of these images come to mind: beloved husband, father, grandfather, attorney, farmer, officer, patriot and adventurer. His was a long and meaningful life.
In lieu of flowers, his family respectfully requests donations be made in his honor to the Rhode Island American Parkinson's Disease Association, P.O. Box 41659, Providence, RI 02940.