Irene Stevenson Nall

Irene Stevenson Nall, 92, died February 28, 2011 at 5:00 PM She was born April 1, 1918 to Howard and Gladys (Geyer) Stevenson near Wetmore, Kansas. She had an adventurous childhood, traveling all over the U.S. with her family during summer vacations in the 1920s. Both her parents taught school in Wetmore and were known as ""Mr. Steve"" and ""Mrs. Steve"" and Irene became known as ""Stevie."" After high school graduation in 1935, she took a Normal Training Course and joined the ""family business"" as a teacher. She began teaching first, second and third grade and coached basketball at Bancroft Grade School, the same country school she attended, earning a salary of $45 a month. After a few years, she continued her own education and graduated from Emporia State College (Kansas State Teacher's College) in 1942. In college, she met Jack Nall. They were married in 1944 and were best friends and happily married until Jack's death in 1988. Jack and Stevie were partners in tennis, traveling, laughter, hammering nails and parenting Jeff and Nancy. They lived in Kansas, New Jersey and Florida. Stevie taught for 32 years, retiring in 1980. And just as her parents taught her, she taught both her children in third grade. In 2000, she moved to Denver, CO to be near Nancy, Tom, Kim and Dustin. Stevie loved her family, the ocean, travel, inventing fun ways for her students to learn, Christmas, and scratch off lottery tickets. She received awards for Volunteer of the Year from both the Indian River County Schools and the State of Florida for tutoring students with special needs in 1991. Stevie had an incredibly sharp mind, sense of humor, and memory until the day she died. She was a beloved mother, mother-in-law, and best friend and grandmother to Kim, Dustin and Michael. She was preceded in death by her husband Jack, parents Howard and Gladys Stevenson, and sister Ferris. She is survived by her son Jeff (Mary), daughter Nancy (Tom) York, and her grandchildren, Kim and Dustin York and Michael Nall. In Stevie's own words, ""My life hasn't been what one might call an exciting one but a very happy one. May yours, too, be happy."" A celebration of Stevie's life will be held at the Arvada Meridian senior housing center. Memorials may be made in Stevie's name to: Habitat for Humanity 3245 Eliot Street Denver, CO 80211 Planned Parenthood 7155 East 38th Avenue Denver, CO 80201 Grandson Dustin York's memories: My recollection of Stevie is that she loved to play games, and in some ways made life itself a game. As a kid, we would go on vacation to Florida or New Jersey and be greeted with a butterscotch candy and free license to spend our days at the beach or catching crabs. Even as a kid, I can't say I was imbued with quite the fun-loving spirit. At the beach, I had to be coaxed onto the damp, clingy sand. And as for the crabs, I'd happily catch 'em but damned if I would ever eat one. Stevie would cook them up anyway, and part of the carefree natures of our family vacations never failed to rub off on me in the end. I said Stevie liked games, and by that I also mean she liked to compete. She loved to play 'Kings on the Corner,' to see who would take the crown for every year's Christmas scratch lottery tradition, and I think she loved getting a deal when buying something'""for almost anything'""as much as Jack did. But I'd add that Stevie always kept her competitive spirit in check with a healthy dose of humor. I think that's why she reserved her most vocal scorn for the politicians or professional athletes in the limelight, because those people had lost that touch, or never had it to begin with. I have made the mistake more than once of calling Stevie superstitious, something she was always quick to deny. It's true, she never warned me against breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder, instead we would make wishes by ""stamping"" white horses, or by saving the tip of our cake slices until the last bite. This is something I will continue to do. I am sure Stevie would tell me that making wishes isn't superstition, it's just a game. I'll break tradition this one time to tell you that the next time I have a piece of cake or pie, the last bite will be a toast to Stevie. Son Jeff, Mary and Grandson Michael's memory of Stevie's lifelong adventurous spirit and fun loving: In her mid-eighties, Stevie decided to take Michael's electric scooter for a spin. Michael was worried and begged her to wait until Jeff got home but she was off. Unfortunately, she floored the accelerator instead of the brake hit the car curb and sailed over the handlebars. A panicked Michael ran up and called, ""Grandma, Grandma, are you all right? Are you all right?"" Stevie answered, ""Michael, Michael, is the scooter all right?"" She came out of it with a few bruises, maybe both to body and pride but, as always, she was able to laugh at herself. Stevie wrote the story of her own life. Here are some of her memories: Basketball was a big deal when I was in elementary and high school. I graduated from high school and took a year of normal school education to get a certificate to teach. In 1937 I taught first, second and third graders and coached the grade school girls basketball team in Bancroft, Kansas. A team consisted of 6 players. I had 7 players, one a tiny little girl who was the substitute. Five miles away in Wetmore, Kansas, my father coached his team. I don't remember how many he had on his team, but it was more than I had. At the end of the season, we were invited to a tournament in Goff, Kansas and our teams went to the finals. My dad's team won. His team received a trophy and our team got a soft ball for coming in second. My dad teased me for just getting a soft ball. The next year we both reached the finals again, but this year my team prevailed and we won the tournament. We received a trophy for first place, but they also got a trophy for second place. When I teased him about being beaten, he always said, ""Well, at least we didn't get a soft ball."" I'd answer, ""That's only because they didn't give one."" I was glad my team won the last competition we had. Tennis played a big role in my life. There may have been a tennis court in our little town of Wetmore, Kansas before I can remember, but there was none at the time we moved from Grandpa's house down the hill to a house that had a yard big enough to make one. My dad worked hours getting the court in shape and then he and his friends would play. People would come to watch and we even had a tree house where we had a good view of the games. After the men finished with their games, the kids were allowed to use it, and our yard was usually filled with kids. Sometimes this was difficult for my sister Ferris and me when Dad made home brew in our basement. This was during Prohibition and teachers like my parents were not allowed to drink, and we were afraid people would find out, but everyone in such a small town probably knew about it anyway. When the folks and I went to summer school in Emporia one year to renew our teaching certificates, we played a lot of tennis. One Sunday when we went to play in the park we found that the courts were all busy, but Jack, who was playing with his friend Eddie Shupe, asked us to share the court they were using. Jack was in my speech class and would always mosey to the front of the class to give his speeches. I thought he was the slowest person I ever saw, so when I saw him playing tennis I couldn't believe how fast he was, hopping all over that court. He was also the #1 player for Emporia State Teachers College, earning a scholarship to play. After that, I knew where he hung out and spent a lot of my time at the tennis court. I didn't have the correct form as a tennis player. I had taught my self all wrong and didn't turn my side properly to the net to return the ball, but I was quick and could get it back. I couldn't break my old habits, but had fun. The City of Emporia had tennis tournaments in the summer. Jack and I won the mixed doubles one year and Jack won the men's singles for 2 years, but the third year they wouldn't allow him to play. They thought it wasn't fair for him to win since he already played on the college team. Please share your memories of Irene ""Stevie"" and condolences with her family by selecting the ""Sign Guestbook"" button.