George Stevens

George H. Stevens, 54, died February 12 in Lake Barrington, IL at the home of friends. He died of a swift and sudden heart attack. Our family is stunned by his passing, but we consider it a special blessing that he was taken quickly and did not suffer. George was born in Syracuse NY, the son of Marilyn and Donald Stevens. He was a communicant at St. Lucy's Catholic Church. He graduated from Bishop Ludden High School and received his BS in Cardiopulmonary Care and Allied Health Management from the College of Health Related Sciences at SUNY-Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse NY and an MS in Instructional Design at Syracuse University. George taught at the College of Health Related Sciences, then pursued a career in corporate training. He was the author of many publications including two books. George was active in several professional organizations, including the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) and worked with friends to establish the Chesapeake Chapter of the society in Baltimore, MD. George and his family moved to Charlotte in 1997 and, except for a brief stint in Indianapolis, have been in Charlotte ever since. George's intellect, drive and passion were evident in everything he did, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him. George was memorable. He was a character. He challenged people, he mentored them, and he made people laugh. George was a kind and loving husband, father, and friend. He saved his close friends from the embarrassment of accepting his help by offering the help with a wisecrack or an affectionate insult. If you were going to college, his "Congratulations!" was quickly followed with "Call if you need bail money". His advice to new parents was a sympathetic phrase "They [children] don't come with rule books." George was reverent about the very few things that really matter, and very irreverent about the rest. He was raised in the Catholic Church and remained a passionate advocate for the church throughout his life. George was a person of definite opinions who had little patience for euphemisms. You could be sure he would tell you what he thought! He was the kind of person who could cut through red tape and politics, and get people organized to move forward together. At work, George had little patience with bad processes, mediocre performance, and inadequate information. He pushed to transform organizations so that their employees could perform at their highest levels. One of his proudest accomplishments was a project at Catholic Healthcare West where he supported the education of the staff as they moved to a new integrated system. He also led the team that provided education and support for AT&T when they installed SAP (a program that consolidates and integrates all of the various data and processes of a company), at the time the largest SAP implementation in history. George was interested in everything. He loved discussing science, history, education, politics and any other topic of the day with friends and neighbors. He loved fishing, time at the beach, and snorkeling. One of his favorite hobbies was experimenting with his smoker, to find the perfect rub, marinade and mop for a cut of pork. George was not afraid of death. He had lived through the deaths of his parents, uncles and close family friends, and worked in the Emergency Room in his first career as a respiratory therapist. He always said calmly "When it's my time, let them take what they can use and burn the rest. When God calls me, I'll go." And he did, suddenly and far too soon for all of us. George is survived by his wife, Emily; his children, Joshua Stevens, Laura Stevens and Wesley Stevens; his brothers, Donald Stevens, Richard Stevens and Sean Stevens of Syracuse NY; his sisters, Paulette Kelly, Susan Stevens and Melinda Stevens; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Donald W. Stevens and his mother Marilyn M. LaCombe Stevens, his brother Todd Stevens, and his sister Gail Pascarella. A funeral Mass will be held at St Peter's Catholic Church on February 28 at 2:00 pm. For parking information, please consult the church website. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to any of the below: • St Lucy's Catholic Church, 432 Gifford St, Syracuse, New York 13204 (315) 475-7273 • St Peter's Catholic Church, 507 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202 (704) 332-2901 • College of Health Related Sciences in Syracuse, NY Hankins & Whittington of Charlotte are handling the arrangements.