Obituary of Kenneth Stephens

Kenneth Dale Stephens was so dedicated to his role as Florence city councilman that he once came to a meeting after double knee replacement surgery. "He was in a wheelchair and had somebody bring him to the meeting so he could be there to do what he felt like he was elected to do," said Florence Mayor Diane Whalen, who was elected to council in 1996, the same year as Stephens. And in recent months, as the lung cancer Stephens battled for several years took its toll, Stephens brought an oxygen tank so he could make it through the meetings. "In spite of illness, injury and surgery, he always made an effort to be there," Whalen said. "He was determined and believed in the things that he was elected to do, and then he fought and battled this cancer with such determination and such grace." Stephens, 76, died Friday at his home. He retired as an installation supervisor for Cincinnati Bell and worked several years a Boone County school bus driver. Stephens began his public service career in Walton in the 1960s, serving on Walton City Council from 1962 to 1965 and as mayor from 1966 to 1971. Soon afterward, he moved to Florence when he met his wife, Barbara. "I was at Frisch's with my daughter, he was at Frisch's with his daughter," Barbara Stephens said. Later, he came up to Barbara at Cincinnati Bell, where they both worked. "He walked over and said, 'Didn't I see you at Frisch's?' " she recalled. "From then on we were a couple." Stephens decided to become involved in government in his new hometown because enjoyed giving back to the community, his wife said. He was first elected to Florence City Council in 1996, and served all but seven months since. Though Stephens lost the election in 2004, his fellow council members reappointed him when another member resigned. Stephens wasn't afraid to vote his conscience. He was the only member to vote against Sunday beer and liquor sales in the city and the only one to vote against a lawsuit settlement to allow an office building at the intersection to U.S. 42 and Dilcrest Drive. "He was independent, he did not go along to get along," said Councilman Mel Carroll. "We're going to miss his wisdom and his judgment," he said. "We're going to miss him, he was a good friend, a good councilman, he was good for the city of Florence." Stephens would remind council about residents who were retired or lived on a fixed income, Whalen said. "The people that didn't have the same advantages that others did," she said. "They lost an advocate and we lost a friend." Councilman David A. Osborne and Stephens became close friends while serving together. "We're just going to miss him as an individual, not just on council," Osborne said. "The chemistry that we had on council ... we're a family, but unfortunately the circle will be broken." Osborne visited Stephens often in the last month, bringing him news of city business. Stephens told his friend that running for another term was giving him another reason to fight his cancer. "He was fighter," Osborne said. "He would always emphasize, 'David, I'm not ready to give up.' " In addition to his wife, Stephens is survived by his son, Rick Stephens; daughter, Gisele Mann; stepdaughter, Betsy White; brothers, Wayne, Les, Bob and Pete Stephens; six grandchildren, Julie Spiering, Sarah Stephens, Jessica Stone, Kelly Fulmer, Alex White, Ethan White; and one great-grandchild, Taylor Spiering. Visitation will be 3-8 p.m. Sunday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home in Florence. Service will be 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will in Forest Lawn Cemetery. Memorials: American Diabetes Foundation, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312 or American Cancer Society, 297 Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017.