Richard "Pete" Stevens

Richard “Pete” Stevens was born August 2, 1928 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and died June 5, 2019, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Richard was the last surviving child of June C. and Charles N. Stevens having been predeceased by his brother Nathan and sister Beverly. He is survived by 7 of his children, Andrea, Barbara, Carolyn, Dana, James, Erin (d.1962), Fontaine, and Richard (the girls having been named in alphabetical order), 10 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. He served in the US Navy from 1950-1952 as a naval aviator.  He was a passionate pilot flying both a Twin Engine Cessna and a helicopter that he often landed in the back yard. He was a member of the Quiet Birdmen (QBs), Rotary, and Young Presidents Organization. He married Onnolee Lockley in 1953 and they moved to a farm in Oconomowoc in 1959. Richard threw himself into learning about farming. Over the years he mastered hand-milking his cow, Sheila, as well as baling hay, planting corn and soybeans, and raising beef.  Concurrently he was a full-time businessman running Milwaukee Boiler Manufacturing Company for 45 years. Richard designed, and his company built, tunnel boring equipment that was used by San Francisco BART as well as high speed rail transit tunnels in Sao Paolo, Tokyo, Tehran, and Singapore. Throughout his life Richard was exceptionally curious—stopping at memorial markers whenever he saw them, trying out a new route home, following a creek to its headwaters, and clipping out news articles about almost everything that he knew could be useful as some later point. Rest in peace, Dad.

Mass will be held at Villa St. Francis, 1910 West Ohio Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53215, on Thursday, June 13, 2019, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated to Hometown Hospice.