Verna Vivian Stevenson

Verna V. Stevenson died April 2019 at the age of 90 years. Her unwavering love, support and guidance are greatly missed by her family. A sea of compassionate wisdom, she had a special bond with each family member. Verna was an enthusiastic admirer and supporter of nature, always with her camera and binoculars nearby. She introduced three generations to the wonders of the National Parks from Florida to California and Alaska. An avid supporter of education, reading and the performing arts, she returned to college after her children were grown to obtain a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of South Florida in 1981. Verna was born in Ohio to Gladys and Walter White. She graduated co-valedictorian from New Lexington High School and attended Ohio State University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. There she met and married Arthur James Stevenson and moved to Cincinnati where she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Albert Sabin, where the first polio vaccine that could be administered by mouth was developed. Verna and Arthur subsequently moved to New Philadelphia, Ohio, where Arthur began his work as a Family Physician. Over the following decade, with a family of 4 children, they moved to New Orleans, and then Houston as Arthur obtained further training in anesthesiology, and then settled in Tampa, Florida in 1965. She and Arthur moved to Sarasota in 1983. Following the death of Arthur in 2011, she moved to Maryville, Tennessee. She is survived by her brother Harley (Sonny) White(Patricia), children William (Lynne), Craig (Lynda), Joan Hamilton (Paul), and John (Louise), 8 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. The Stevenson Family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the care providers at Shannondale of Maryville for all their loving support over the last 2 1/2 years. You are all amazing! A memorial service will be held at McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home in Maryville, TN on May 18th at 11AM, with visitation from 10-11AM. A lunch will be served after the service at St Andrews Episcopal Church. Interment services will be held at the Sarasota National Cemetery on May 21st at 10:30AM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Grand Teton National Park Foundation, P.O. Box 249, Moose, WY 83012 www.gtnpf.org or Appalachian Bear Rescue, P.O. Box 364, Townsend, TN 37882, www.appalachianbearrescue.org . .