Joseph “Joe” Stevenson (Grangeville ’53)
Posted: March 19, 2026
Joe was born on September 11, 1932, in Marshalltown, IA, and grew up in Kahoka, MO, where he graduated from Kahoka HS in 1950. He passed away on November 8, 2025, in Springfield, MO.
Joe and his twin brother, Cecil B. Stevenson (GAC-53), were both smokejumpers. Both men jumped the 1953 season out of the Grangeville base.
Joe graduated from Central Methodist College in Fayette, MO, in 1954 with a degree in education.
Joe and Cecil both served in the 11th Airborne as medics. Joe was stationed in Germany and Fort Campbell, KY, where he was discharged in 1957.
That year, Joe married Waneta. The marriage lasted for the rest of his life. They had a son, Joe, and a daughter, Joni.
He earned a master’s degree from Kirksville State Teachers College (now Truman State University) in Missouri, going on to teach high school and coach baseball and basketball.
In 1968, he purchased a Western Auto Store in Canton, MO, where he worked until retirement in 1994. After selling the store, he became a municipal and school bus driver.
Joe lived an active and full life, spending a great deal of time hunting, fishing, and working with his bird dogs. He and Waneta loved to compete in shoot-to-retrieve trials with their dogs, doing so for more than three decades. They also loved riding their horses and especially enjoyed inviting local school children to ride them as well. Joe was an avid reader, an ace at Scrabble, and a sports fan who supported high school athletics well into his golden years.
