Robert Chandler Stever—our Bob—was born December 5th, 1933 in Tyrone, PA. He had a younger brother and sister. Bob had to deal with undiagnosed dyslexia but nevertheless earned a bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore College where he first encountered Quakers and joined Swarthmore Meeting. He then studied at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, achieving his medical degree in 1961. He met Ann Crockett in December 1960, and they were married in June of 1961. Their honeymoon was a cross-country drive to Seattle, Washington, where Bob had an internship at Virginia Mason Hospital.
After the internship, Bob and Ann spent a year and a half in Kratie, Cambodia, a small provincial capital, where Bob served with the CARE-MEDICO team, working with the local doctor and nurses. The CARE MEDICO group included an obstetrician and an OB nurse as well as another family physician, so when Ann became pregnant they decided to have the baby there. Jennifer Tyng Stever was born in April, 1963. The family spent 6 months traveling through Europe on the way back to Seattle.
Bob spent 2 years at the Public Health Hospital before going to Group Health (now Kaiser), where he was a family physician until retiring in 1991. He transferred his membership to University Meeting, where he served on the Facilities Committee at a variety of times. The Stever family expanded to include sons Chandler and Jonathan, both born in Seattle. The family enjoyed hiking, camping, and traveling together - a highlight was a family trip in Europe when the children were in their teens. Bob also loved music, art, and creative writing. He expressed these passions with improvisations on the piano, drawing and painting, and publishing several books. He did all this with a bubbling, incandescent energy which often was ‘over the top and beyond,’ as a Friend lovingly described him. In the early 1990’s, Bob and Ann divorced, and Bob moved to West Seattle and settled into a loving relationship with Jim Cooper. He maintained his family ties with visits and holiday celebrations and enjoyed the advent of 5 grandchildren, and in the last year of his life, a great-granddaughter. Although he did not continue to attend worship, he continued to contribute financially. The Meeting meant a lot to him.
He had troubles with mobility as time passed and suffered a concussion after a fall in July 2022 and declined quickly after that. It became clear that he was dying, and most of the family had time to visit. He died peacefully at home on September 22, 2022. A celebration of Bob's life was held at University Meeting on January 15, 2023.
Accepted by University Friends Meeting
April 9, 2023