Dr. Ralph Ivan Stephens
STEPHENS, BLISS, GROMKE, ROGERS, HILL, ROSS
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 6/18/2024 at 12:07:58
Ralph was born in Chicago, Il, June 3, 1934, to parents Mildred Lucille Bliss and Ivan Earl Stephens. He was the youngest of three children, with two older sisters, Doris Louise and Laverne Alice, and also had seven cousins. He met the tigress, Barbara Dorothea Gromke in 1955, they wed January 25, 1958, and were married for over 57 years. What a team! They moved to Iowa City in 1965 with their two young children, Susan and Bob, and completed their family in 1966 with the birth of their third child, Kristen. From 1990 - 2000, Ralph and Barbara welcomed seven grandchildren, JD Rogers and Mike Rogers from Iowa City, IA, Joelle Stephens Hill and Cooper Stephens from Moscow, ID, and Mitch Ross, Sean Ross, and Jack Ross from Minneapolis, MN.
Ralph worked as a professor in the University of Iowa College of Engineering for almost 50 years, authoring numerous technical publications, book chapters, and books. He mentored dozens of graduate students and was passionate about teaching and performing research. He was very active in the Society of Automotive Engineers, (SAE) and American Standard for Testing and Materials, (ASTM)
He enjoyed sports and exercise his entire life, including hiking, swimming, dancing, volleyball, tennis, racquetball, downhill and cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and even riding Ragbrai. He loved his sports cars and began race car driving and instructing racing students. He was enthusiastic about University of Iowa Hawkeye athletics, and he and Barbara became devoted Iowa women’s basketball fans and supporters.
Most of all, he loved his family. He was an amazing man, husband, father, grandfather, cheerleader, hugger, and friend - and seeing his family all together was his greatest joy.
Please join the family for a Celebration of Life at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 3, 2024 at Danforth Chapel in Iowa City. In lieu of flowers or donations, Ralph’s family hopes you will share a fun time with your families, because family is everything.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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