Linda (Given) Stevenson

Linda G. Stevenson passed away June 1, 2021, surrounded by family. Linda was a generous, formidable, delightful person. Her sense of justice was deep and fierce, and her tenderness was just as strong. She found joy in everyday things as well as the wonders she experienced during her broad travels. Linda lived most of her life within a few miles of her twin sister and her parents, allowing for frequent raucous, laughter-filled family get-togethers. She was a defender of rabbits and other small creatures, and was fortunate to share her home with a series of remarkable and lucky cats. To be loved by Linda felt like sunshine on your soul.

Linda was born February 4, 1937, minutes apart from her identical twin sister, Lissa, in Circleville, Ohio. She grew up on South Court Street and worked as a clerk in her father Bish Given’s Mobil station at Scioto and Main, and also worked at Butch’s Jewelers. Linda graduated from Circleville High School in 1954, and attended Ohio University in Athens. Linda married her high-school sweetheart, John A. Stevenson, in Circleville in 1957, and they moved to Texas and Newfoundland with the Air Force. After his service ended, they moved back to the Stevenson farm west of Circleville and started their family.

Linda and John lived in Arlington, VA, during John’s tenure in federal office, which allowed Linda to work for defense contractors in Washington, DC. Through her life in Circleville, Linda also worked as a substitute teacher, a dispatcher and office manager at Coca Cola bottling, and an executive secretary at PICCA. She was active in Child Conservation League, Berger Hospital Guild, as advisor to Wayne Township Thread and Thimbles 4-H Club, a variety of organizations dedicated to women in agriculture, and in many positions of service at Circleville Presbyterian Church, of which she was a lifelong member.

Linda is preceded in death by her parents Harrison Bishop and Elizabeth Ethridge Given; her husband of 58 years, John A. Stevenson; infant daughter Jennifer Linda; sister Lannie Argo; and twin sister Lissa Yaple. She is survived by daughter Susan Stevenson (Rhonda Imler), Amanda; daughter Sharon Stevenson (Jacqueline Alvarez) and grandson Stevenson David Alvarez, Pelham, MA; brother-in-law Glenn Yaple, Circleville; and several nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be at Wellman Funeral Home, Circleville, on Friday, June 4 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Interment will be at Forest Cemetery in private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Forest Cemetery Association or Heartland Hospice.  Online condolences can be made to www.wellmanfuneralhomes.com

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