Nan Stevens

Nan (Nancy) Jones Stevens passed away peacefully on October 3rd in New Hampshire, where she had moved a year ago to be closer to family. She loved books, dogs, gardening, music, Bible study, crossword puzzles, birds, and helping people. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, she grew up in Bethlehem and was graduated from Moravian Preparatory School as valedictorian of her class. Nan went to Wellesley College, where she majored in botany and minored in biblical history. She then earned a master's in Elementary Education from Harvard, married, and taught in Massachusetts while her new husband finished law school. They had five children, raising them in Pittsburgh and Duluth, and fostered children as well. Always an active, capable person, Nan found time for gardening, cross-stitch and embroidery in addition to housekeeping and child-raising. Friday was her bread-baking day and she filled the kitchen with sweet-smelling loaves. The writings of Erma Bombeck made her laugh; Pete Seeger's music mirrored her social conscience. A true dog lover, Nan owned and enjoyed many different breeds over the years. When her older children became teenagers, she earned a second master's, in Education of the Visually Impaired, from the University of Pittsburgh, subsequently teaching in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New Jersey. She was up late many nights, typing out lessons for her beloved students on a Perkins Brailler. In her retirement, Nan returned to the Lehigh Valley. She traveled to England and Scotland in 1992, becoming a fan of British television in her later life. She was always reading and was a faithful viewer of PBS Newshour. Nan volunteered with the Association for the Blind in Lehigh County, with Miller-Keystone Blood Bank and with many other community organizations, including Musikfest. She is survived by a sister, Dorothy Jones Dale, in Bethlehem, and by her children: Melanie Wicker (Larry) in Florida, Jonathan Stevens (Paola) in New Jersey, Monica White (Brad) in New Hampshire, and Paul Stevens (Yung) in Washington. Her son Ray predeceased her. Nan had nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Emmaus Moravian Church in Emmaus, PA, on December 14, 2025. Charitable donations may be made to National Public Radio.