Marie Stevens

Marie E. Stevens, a resident at Dorothy Love Retirement Community, formerly of

Lima, died October 19, 2024. She was born January 16, 1928, in Elida, Ohio, the

daughter of Eva (Hess) and Earl Miller. On March 29, 1953, she married Donald E.

Stevens, who died May 10, 2002, and with whom she visited all 50 states. She is

survived by three daughters: Joyce Stevens and Sharon Cole of Lima and Karen

Stevens of Portland, Michigan; a son-in-law, Kenneth Schneider, two grandchildren,

Nathan and Kiah Schneider; also, a brother and sister-in-law, Allan and Virginia

Miller of Troy, Ohio.

She graduated from Elida High School as a valedictorian of her class in 1946. She

graduated cum laude from McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas in 1950. In

her senior year she was elected to Who’s Who in American Colleges and

Universities and graduated with a BA degree in English, History, and Latin. She later

achieved a Masters degree from Bowling Green University. She taught in Kansas

and Forest, Ohio, at Lima Central Junior High, Lima Shawnee High School and

Northwestern College, also in Lima.

Marie spent much of her time at Dorothy Love helping others. She was the librarian

there 15 years and worked 50-90 hours each month in the library. She arranged for

new bookshelves, organized the books alphabetically for easier access and

inventoried the books for the first time. She managed 8,000 books, which was an

increase of 5,000 from when she started.

She also spent much time making crafts for fundraisers and teaching craft classes.

Her crafts of computer art, 3D, woven arts, photography, prose, patchwork jacket,

jewelry tree, paper tole and needle weaving won many awards in the AOPHA Art

and Writing Contest. She also won an award for her Swedish Weaving afghan in an

OPRS Calendar Contest.

Other volunteer work included liaison between Sidney Middle School children and

the Dorothy Love Community in the Career Connections Program, work in the gift

shop and for three years was on the Philanthropy committee of the local board.

Through 2017 she spent over 12,000 hours in volunteer service and still found time

to line dance weekly until age 91.

Marie was a former member of First Evangelical and Reformed Church in Lima,

where she served as Sunday School teacher, a member of the scholarship

committee and a deacon. After moving to Sidney, she transferred to St. Paul’s

United Church of Christ where she organized church dinner trips to Amish homes,

helped decorate the church for Christmas, and participated in Bible studies and a

Red Hatters group for over 20 years.

A visitation will be held on Friday - November 1,2024, from 5-8PM at Salm - McGill & Tangeman Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held on Saturday - November 2, 2024, at 10AM at the Saint Paul's United Church of Christ in Sidney. Burial will follow the Funeral Service at Ward Cemetery in Lima, Ohio. Salm - McGill & Tangeman Funeral Home is honored to serve the Stevens Family.