RALPH STANLEY STEPHENSON

RALPH STANLEY STEPHENSON BELFAST – Ralph Stanley Stephenson, 73, died July 28, 2006, at Waldo County General Hospital. He was born Feb. 25, 1933, in Belfast, fifth child of seven of Richard and Olive Ruby Stephenson. After running away several times from kindergarten and refusing to attend, Ralph began school the next year at Peirce School at six and one half and continued studying most of his life. He graduated from Crosby High School at age 191/2 and from the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in history and government, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1956. In the summer of 1956, he studied European history at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Ralph began his teaching career at Caribou High School, teaching there for two years, divided by two years of military service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army in El Paso, Texas. During this time he obtained his masters degree in education from the University of Texas. In 1960, after returning to Maine, he met and married Ruth E. Swanson, a Brewer native who had summered in Belfast with her family. She was the director of nursing at the then new hospital in Belfast. This was followed by a period of teaching and graduate study at Cornell University and the University of Maine at Orono and the birth of their first child Lisa, followed by Rachel and seven years later by Richard. In 1963 Ralph joined Bangor Savings Bank as manager-trainee and in early 1964 successfully launched the Belfast branch of Bangor Savings Bank. After three years Ralph returned to the University of Maine at Orono to work on his doctoral degree in counseling and guidance, completing the degree in 1972. After completing the doctorate, Ralph became a civil servant in the service of Queen Elizabeth II, serving for four years in the New Brunswick, Canada, Provincial Department of Education as a pupil personnel services consultant for a regional superintendency of education. Ralph and his family had immigrant status in Canada. The family enjoyed and benefited from life and schooling experiences in that country. Upon returning to the United States in 1976, Ralph spent 17 years on the faculty of Thomas College in Waterville teaching business and psychology courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs, retiring in 1995. During and after those years, Ralph served two terms as treasurer of Waldo County, having served earlier on city council of Belfast. He also served on the board of trustees of the Belfast Free Library. During his years in Belfast, Ralph was noted for his involvement and service in church music as an organist and choir director at several local churches, First Baptist Church, The First Church, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church and others. Ralph’s involvement in the different areas of Belfast life meant that he was well known and loved by many. Ralph had many interests in community programs and supported them to varying degrees. Some of the organizations include the Belfast Y.M.C.A., the Game Loft, the Restorative Justice program at the County Jail and the Marsh River Theater. With the exception of the few years away from Belfast, Ralph and his family have been rooted and involved in activities in Belfast; a city in which Ralph’s family has lived since the 1790s, moving here from Hingham, Mass., having sailed from England in the previous century. During the last decade, Ralph had traveled considerably in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Haiti, Western Europe, France, Germany and Eastern Europe, East Germany, Slovak, Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. In the fall of 2005, Ralph and his oldest grandchild, Karl, spent a grand two weeks going up the Danube River on a small cruise boat, a long time dream of Ralph’s, visiting historical sites and musical events. Ralph is survived by daughter, Lisa Stephenson Abbott of Belfast and her husband, Carlton; daughter, Rachel Stephenson Tribuzio of Monroe and her husband, Mario; son, Richard Stephenson and his wife, Jamey, of Phoenix; former son-in-law, Greg Stearns and wife, Julie; sisters and brother, Mary Case, Elizabeth Cadieux, Rose Melvin and Tom Stephenson; grandchildren, Karl Stearns, Carlton Abbott III, Lauren, Michael and Megan Tribuzio, Risa, Kayla, Adria and Tori Stephenson; nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his wife, Ruth Swanson Stephenson in 1997; and two brothers, Neal and Robert Stephenson. A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at the United Methodist Church, 23 Mill Lane, Belfast. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the United Methodist Church for the upkeep of the organ, or to the Waldo County Home Health and Hospice, P.O. Box 407, Belfast, ME 04915.