When John L. Stephens became involved in a community project, he was often the force that drove it to success. As chairman of the board of Edward Hospital and president of the Naperville Heritage Society of Naper Settlement, Mr. Stephens helped to make the organizations the successes they are today.
“He could bring a lot of people together that wouldn’t necessarily be involved unless he was involved and together they achieved some great things,” said his son, John K. Stephens.
John L. Stephens, 70, died unexpectedly on Friday, Feb. 8, in his home in Naperville.
Mr. Stephens was born in Chicago in 1931 and raised in the Englewood area. He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., in 1953 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics. That year he married his college sweetheart, Kay.
Mr. Stephens started work in the mail room at Harris Bank in Chicago, working his way through the ranks to eventually become executive vice president of corporate and employee relations administration. He retired from Harris Bank in 1989.
“It was the classic story. He was nothing if not determined,” said his wife.
The couple moved to Naperville in 1964 and Mr. Stephens began a variety of community work. He first spearheaded a successful school referendum campaign. In 1970, one year after the Naperville Heritage Society was formed, Mr. Stephens and his wife became charter members. For most of 22 years, Mr. Stephens was on the society’s board of directors. He has served as president of the Heritage Society since 1993. Last week he was nominated for another term as president, said Peggy Frank, executive director of the Heritage Society and Naper Settlement.
“John had an extreme impact on this organization,” Frank said. “He could reach through the decades and see what had to be done to move beyond a grass-roots operation to a professional organization that now attracts 100,000 visitors a year.”
He served on the board of directors of Edward Hospital from 1987 to 1997, helping to expand the small community hospital to a regional medical center, said Pam Davis, president and chief executive officer. Mr. Stephens was chairman of the board from 1992 to 1997. “His leadership was truly instrumental in getting phenomenal changes done here. When he was chairman, the changes were rapid-fire,” Davis said.
The auditorium at the hospital was named the John L. Stephens Auditorium after he retired from the hospital board.
Last month Mr. Stephens retired as chairman of the personnel board of the city of Naperville. He also served as board president of Little Friends Inc., an organization that helps the disabled in DuPage County. He was a director of the Chicago Jaycees, the College of DuPage and a board vice chairman and director of Junior Achievement of Chicago. He was a division chairman and executive committee member of the American Bankers Association.
Mr. Stephens is also survived by three daughters, Susan Stephens, Ginger Stephens Terlep and Jane Rogers; nine grandchildren; and a brother, Norval Stephens Jr.
Visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville. Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Century Memorial Chapel in Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St.
