Roy Lee Stevens
August 23, 1949 - January 28, 2026

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding sits with us as we announce the passing of Roy Lee Stevens. He went on to glory January 28, 2026 at 2:30 a.m. with his daughter Jessie Bailey by his side at home in Eureka. He was loved deeply by all of his family and friends.

Roy was born the third of seven children August 23, 1949 in Hollister, Missouri to Theodore and Leona Stevens. As a young child he enjoyed playing with his younger brothers in the fields at Maple Creek. One time he and his brother Charlie were sledding down a grassy field when he realized there were spiders. Being visually impaired, he was afraid of spiders, moths and all kinds of bugs that he couldn’t see. So Charlie tried to rescue his big brother from the spiders the only way he knew how… he burnt the field down. Local workers had to come to put the fire out before it could do too much damage. When reflecting on this, in the last few weeks of his life, my Dad insisted that HE didn’t do anything wrong… “not me” he told me over and over when I told him that it sounded like two little boys being ornery. He wanted to make sure I knew he wasn’t the ornery one. 🙂

When he was a little boy his older sister Carol won a toy tractor in a drawing at the grocery store. She was so excited to give it to her baby brother and anticipated the hours of enjoyment he would get… To her dismay he promptly dismantled the tractor in proper mechanic fashion. This would continue his whole life as he was famous for taking things apart to “see how they worked.”

Roy graduated from McKinleyville High in 1967. Around this time he spent his days with his best friend Wendall Short. They often would find themselves in all kinds of adventures. One such adventure happened in the winter. These two best friends had the brilliant idea that oaring a styrofoam canoe down the Mad River during flood stage was a great way to spend an afternoon. Of course the canoe capsized and both young men found themselves hanging on for dear life. Every time he would tell this story his eyes would twinkle and he would grin from ear to ear; but so would my Uncle Woodie with a dimpled chuckle. They were definitely a pair.

As a young adult he worked as a mechanic and was very much a Ford man. In fact I grew up underneath vehicles, greasy like my Dad and enjoying every minute… of course when things got crazy I would always tell Dad to “just go get the red Ford”… I thought that was the answer - that red Ford could get us out of snow, mud and any other sticky situation. Of course what I didn’t know at the time is that the red Ford wasn’t the responsible one for our rescue… It was always MY DAD.

He became such a proficient auto mechanic that he could listen to a car drive down the road and often had the correct diagnosis. That said, he did make a few mistakes. One time he blew the rear end out of one of his pretty customers’ cars… then told her that it was cheaper to marry him than it was to pay him to fix the car… What a proposal!! 🙂

He went on to marry that pretty customer, Janet Bagley, in 1973. At first they lived in West Haven where Janet joined Roy’s faithful companion, a Samoyed Husky named Mamu. Of course Mamu wasn’t too happy about this arrangement and grew very jealous of Roy’s new wife. Unfortunately Mamu died of a broken heart shortly before they moved to Willow Creek where they raised their two children, Jessie and Levi.

Dad enjoyed backpacking and camping back in the wilderness with his brother Hank Stevens, his brother-in-law Vernon Huber and his best friend Wendall. This was a love he would also share with his wife and us kids, often taking us on extended hikes deep into the wilderness to camp by the river for the week. He loved to fish and had a passion for running hound dogs, especially Flip. His favorite though were his horses. As a teenager he would fall asleep on the back of Blaze, a faithful gelding that would walk his master home. He spoke so highly of Blaze but his best horse friend was Tony, a quarter horse stallion. Dad and Tony had a great trust… Dad would put us kids (as small children) on Tony’s back and Tony would softly walk us around the yard but when Dad would get in the saddle Tony recognized that he knew how to ride… Tony would race like the wind or prance with solid steps as he and Dad enjoyed each other. This was a love Dad held in his heart all the way to his passing and often talked about how much he missed Tony. In fact that is why I chose the picture I chose for this obituary. Tony and my Dad.

Dad completely enjoyed going to Pop Warner football games to watch his nephew John Cole play ball. He was incredibly proud of John who grew up to serve in the army. He loved all of his nieces and nephews and would fondly share stories with me of funny memories like Teresa in the dog house peaking out with an “in your face - take me as I am” attitude or Lydia’s cute little blond curls and how he thought she was a beautiful little doll as a small girl. He would tell me how proud he was of Vernon Lee Huber who also served his country and displayed his high school graduation picture for all to see. My Dad truly loved all of his family fiercely.

Dad owned many businesses as he worked to provide for his family. At one time he owned the largest firewood business in northern California and prided himself on a job well done. Being visually impaired himself, he cared deeply for the low-vision community. He started a company called “Low Vision Specialist.” It assisted those with low vision regain independence and return to their most loved hobbies. This was a passion of his.

Above all other things his greatest passion in his life was his walk with Jesus. He lived his faith in the LORD without apology and before anyone who would listen. Dad was always quick with an answer as to the hope that laid within him. His conviction and depth of knowledge was so extensive that even when coming out from under anesthesia after surgery he would witness to the nurses and tell them about the salvation the Lord would give if they pursued Jesus Christ. Many times over he would spend days alone in the woods, just him and Jesus, as he fasted to get closer to God. Although he was “legally blind” he never approached life from an “impaired” state. He was determined to be a continual student of the scriptures and would spend hours reading the word through audio recordings or low vision equipment.

When I think of my Dad I truly can’t seem to separate him from me… he gave me everything and taught me how to be. So much of who I am is him interwoven into my being. He taught me how to chop and stack firewood, change my oil, rotate my tires (without a hoist), build cabinets, get my vehicle unstuck when in mud or snow, fall trees, listen in the woods, identify mushrooms… Those were some of my favorite memories… the smell of the mushrooms and Dad holding my tiny hand in his huge one…

He taught me how to love people; not with words but with actions. He would always say “don’t give someone just money… look for what they need” and then he would give them the shirt off his back or the food off his plate. My Dad was bigger than life to me. I was his best friend and he was mine. How do you sum up someone as solid, as capable, as faithful, as amazing as my Dad?… I can’t seem to find the words.

I think the greatest thing I can say about my Dad is that he gave me a heritage of faith. He taught me that serving God is done outside of Church walls. That even when entire churches turn their back on you, you NEVER turn your back on God… you never doubt and you keep pressing on with Jesus. He served God against the flow for most of his life. He stood STRONG. This he passed to me. He was fierce for Jesus. If I have a fraction of the determination he had inside of him I will be doing well.

Roy is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Earnestine Smith, his sister Dale White, his brother Ted Stevens, his brother-in-laws Vernon Huber and Sonny White as well as his granddaughter Danielle Stevens.

He is survived by his sister Carol Huber, his brother Charles Stevens and his brother Hank and sister-in-law Patricia Stevens as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He leaves behind his children: myself (Jessie Bailey) and Levi Stevens, his son-in-law Eddie Bailey as well as his grandchildren: Adelinea (his “Baby Lady”), August and Levi Nissen, Roberto St. Peters, Jordan and Izabella Stevens, Justin and Brigitte Hebert, Danny Kalis as well as Micah and Savannah Kalis.

His legacy includes his great grandchildren: Kaleb, Ezekiel, Adriana, Billie Jean, Jurney and Makenzi Hebert, Shyloh Sherrell, Cameron Pool, Caiden Hassen, and Kimberlynn Kalis.

We would like to extend a very deep thank you to Gina an RN from Hospice of Humboldt who met him where he was at with kindness, patience and an answer to every question asked. She truly was a beautiful, smiling face that Roy looked forward to seeing and we deeply trusted her honesty and compassion. He also enjoyed talking with Dora Abrahams, a social worker with the Humboldt Senior Resource Center. Her care was especially important to Roy and he often described her to me as a “sweetheart.”

Of all his helpers along the way the most valuable to him and our family was Heather Bevard. She was a faithful caregiver, loyal friend and solid confidant. She cared for him with such gentleness and paid attention to all of his details all the way to his last day. EVERY time an emergency vehicle would pass by my Dad would hear the sirens and pray for the need (I can still hear his voice.) Heather would stop what she was doing to listen to him pray and then add an AMEN along with him. She was always the first person he would reach for when he was sick and depended upon her consistency. She would stop to pick a flower, put it in a small vase and sit it beside his chair for him to enjoy. The simple, small things… This is what he grew to love her for. Her respect for his faith and her attendance to him was beyond admirable and I simply can not thank her enough.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, February 7, at 10 a.m., at the Sunset Memorial Cemetery Chapel in Eureka.