William Richard Stevens Jr.

William Richard Stevens Jr.

Oxnard - Passed away in Oxnard on January 24, 2021 after a brief illness. He was 82.

Dick was born in Summit, New Jersey to William Richard, Sr. and Elizabeth (Turner) in 1938. His father's career as a civil engineer gave him the opportunity to see the world as a child including stops in Los Angeles, San Diego, Tulare, Saudi Arabia, and Germany. Dick graduated from General H. H. Arnold High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. He began his college studies at the University of Maryland University College Europe in Wiesbaden and ultimately completed his degree in Germanic languages at The Miami University of Ohio.

After completing his studies, Dick moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and began his career as a civil servant. He worked at the Office of Economic Opportunity and helped launch the Head Start program, followed by an assignment to the Air National Guard at the Pentagon. Dick relocated to Oxnard in 1968 to take a position at the Naval Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme. It was there that he was introduced to his wife, Sherry. They were married in 1970. Dick retired in 1998 after thirty-four years of federal service. His retirement gave him the opportunity to dedicate time to hobbies including volunteering as a docent at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Channel Islands National Monument Visitors Center and tutoring English-language learners.

Dick was intellectually curious, a seeker of knowledge, and a lifelong learner. He loved to read, and had a vast library that included works ranging from the Greek philosophers to Eastern meditation. He inherited his father's sense of wanderlust, and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. Influenced by his study of the world around him, Dick was a man who wasn't afraid to change. He was passionate about jazz music, Native American cultures of the American Southwest, western and Mel Brooks movies, nature, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a devoted family man who took great pride in his children and doted on his granddaughter.

Dick is survived by his loving wife, Sherry, of Oxnard; daughter Gaelynn of Helena, Montana, whom he shared with his former spouse, Linda Stevens; son William Richard, III of Los Angeles; daughter Jennifer (Robert) Mertz of Alexandria, Virginia; granddaughter Abigail Mertz of Alexandria, Virginia; sister Mary Krysakowski of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, William Richard, Senior and Elizabeth (Turner) Stevens.

A private graveside service will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

To sign the family's online guestbook, click on Williams's name located below "Obituaries" at www.garciamortuaryoxnard.com.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of GARCIA MORTUARY, 629 South A Street, Oxnard. For further information, please call (805)486-9148.