University of Redlands junior Stian Asper placed third overall at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference cross-country championships, helping the Bulldog men finish fourth while the women’s team placed seventh.
Jefferson William “Bill” Stephens, Jr., 76, of Redlands, California, went to be with his Lord on October 23, 2025 at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Bill was a gentle, kind, selfless, and devoted husband, father, papa, brother, and man of God; he committed his entire life to his family, his friends, his church, and his God. His love and dedication to Sharon, his wife of 54 years, never wavered.
Their marriage was filled with joy and was an example to all who knew them. Together, Bill and Sharon raised six children, selflessly giving their all to provide a warm, stable, and caring home. The lives and faith of his children are Bill’s greatest legacy, a testament to his example, his faith in God, and his love for his family. His children have twelve children of their own, and Bill was a proud papa to each of them. His grandchildren were his pride and joy.
Bill worked as an accountant for most of his adult life. After working at First National Bank and Trust in Fontana, Mission Aviation Fellowship in Redlands, and Redlands Aviation Corporation, he worked at the Loma Linda University Faculty Medical Offices for twenty-five years, where he was a financial director in the surgical department. He touched many lives and formed many friendships there.
While in his fifties, he returned to school to complete his degree, and he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Vanguard University in 2002.
Bill also worked tirelessly as a pillar of the church for more than fifty years, first at the First Assembly of God in Loma Linda, where he fell in love with and married Sharon; then at the First Assembly of God in Yucaipa; and finally at Oak Valley Church in Calimesa and Yucaipa. Over the years, he served in various roles, as a youth pastor, adult Sunday school teacher, church accountant, and choir director.
His great pleasure was playing the piano, and he used his gift as a worship leader for several decades. Despite lifelong struggles with his health, he never missed a midweek or Sunday service, he never complained, and he remained steadfast in his dedication to God.
Bill peacefully passed surrounded by his family. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sharon (Boyer) Stephens, of Redlands, and by his six children, their spouses, and twelve grandchildren: Christin Williams (of Redlands), her husband, Todd, and son, Jack; Heather Harrison (of Costa Mesa), her husband, Josh, and children, Buzé, Marta, and Elijah; Jefferson Stephens III (of Yucaipa), his wife, Claire, and son, Jefferson IV; Tamara Cook (of Highland), her husband, David, and children, Jacob, Ethan, and Baylee; Brian Stephens (of Highland), his wife, Christine, and children, Micah and Campbell; and Joel Stephens (of Highland), his wife, Berenice, and children, Damien and Devyn. He is also survived by his sisters, Clara Wideman, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Beverly Fox, of Yukon, Oklahoma. He was preceded into eternal life by his parents, Jefferson, Sr. and Kathryn Stephens, his parents-in-law Orville and Viola Boyer, and his sister Kathy Garman.
Bill’s celebration of life service will be held on November 15, 2025 at 11 a.m., at OV Church, 13553 Calimesa Blvd., Yucaipa, CA. Flowers or other memorials may be delivered to OV Church on the day of the service, or to 11842 Sutter Ave, Yucaipa, CA, 92399.
