<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3SBH1R_0wDSK11g00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3SBH1R_0wDSK11g00" width="1299" height="1750" ></figure>Messenger ReporterKENNARD – Residents mourned the passing of Jesse Lewis Stephens, longtime mayor of Kennard, Little League supporter and community activist, who passed away at a Tyler hospital Sunday, Oct. 13. Stephens was 81. Stephens was born May 25, 1943 in Crockett to parents Evan Clark Stephens and Iva Bell Baker Stephens. He graduated from Crockett High School, class of 1961. While in high school to support himself, Stephens worked as a butcher and at the skating rink. In 1967, he graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He married Wanda Curry on June 29, 1968 and for 13 years they worked in Houston, before moving back to Crockett to raise their family. In the early 1980’s, he opened Jesse L. Stephens CPA firm, having a successful practice for over 40 years. Over the years, he was very active in Crockett and Kennard, where he was a member of Lothrop Masonic Lodge #21 AF &amp; AM, Crockett Lions Club, Crockett Elks Lodge, Kennard Lions Club, Kennard First Baptist Church and Mayor of Kennard for 15 years. Stephens was said to love all sports but his passion was baseball, spending many hours working to get the fields ready, serving as a coach, board president and serving on the state tournament committee, umpired the state Little League tournament as well as southern regional tournament and lastly, serving as District 10 Administrator for many years. Being a mentor to many kids, he would transport them to and from games and hardly ever missed a game in which his own children played. In recent years, he attended and enjoyed every game his grandchildren Katy and Hunter played in – volleyball, basketball, softball and baseball. Stephens was known as a good man and good friend to many, with a kind heart, always speaking well about everyone.Kennard City Manager April Wright confirmed the city will miss Stephens, not only for his positive outlook and can-do attitude, but for his willingness to serve as mayor for so many years. She said it’s not easy to get people to run for local offices and give their time, even asking Wright to try and “go easy” on people having trouble paying their water bill. Mayor ProTem Donald Lamb will take the mayoral position until an election can be held.Finding people to step up, in local government, business – and especially helping kids in little league – is also becoming rarer, according to longtime friend Dr. John Garner. “Stephens served as our Crockett Little League President,” Garner remembered. “But many people did not realize he also served as a district administrator for Little League for this part of East Texas. It was just a foregone conclusion, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do right for these kids and be as fair as we could. He was very much appreciated by a lot of people.”Garner said serving as mayor of Kennard was just part of who Stephens was, never turning down an opportunity to serve his community. “His role in the city of Kennard was really something he didn’t have to do, but he did. He took on the role of doing that and was always thinking about improvements to the infrastructure, as well as being sensitive to the needs of the community,” Garner said. David Tyre knew Stephens for the better part of 50 years, working with him both on little league and in the real estate business. He said Crockett Little League started all the way back in 1955, one of the earliest teams in the state, and the Crockett team had to take on bigger teams from as far away as Tyler, given how few teams there were. “He really loved sports – baseball, football, basketball, and with his daughter and granddaughter, got into softball,” Tyre said. “Any sport kids were involved in, he was involved in. He had a love for trying to help kids. He gave fairness to everybody. He looked at the situation and decided on what was fair for everyone.”Jesse is survived by wife of 56 years, Wanda Stephens of Kennard; daughter, Gaylene Allen and husband, Jason of Crockett; son, Marshall Stephens and special friend, Eliz Gambill of Kennard; grandchildren, Katy and Hunter Allen, Lane Stephens; sisters and brother, Marilyn Harrison and husband, Don of Crockett, Jerry Stephens and wife, Phyllis of Anderson, Dyanna Smith of Houston; numerous nieces, nephews, other loving relatives and very special friends. He was preceded in death by father, Evan Clark Stephens; mother, Iva Bell Smith; sister, Paula Jones; and nephew, Kevin Stephens.Funeral services for Jesse Lewis Stephens will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 at Kennard First Baptist Church. Interment will follow in the Corinth Cemetery in Kennard. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Crockett Merchants Youth Baseball, P.O. Box 1334 Crockett, TX 75835 or the Corinth Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 191 Kennard, TX 75847.Online condolences may be left at www.callawayallee.comGreg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

County Mourns Kennard Mayor Jesse Stephens

KENNARD – Residents mourned the passing of Jesse Lewis Stephens, longtime mayor of Kennard, Little League supporter and community activist, who passed away at a Tyler hospital Sunday, Oct. 13. Stephens was 81. Stephens was born May 25, 1943 in Crockett to parents Evan Clark Stephens and Iva Bell...