Robert Lewis Stephens

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Robert Lewis "Rob" Stephens died Friday May 1, 2009 at his new home on

Rough River Lake at Falls-of-Rough, KY.

Born in Kansas City, KS, he moved to St. Louis where he graduated from St. Louis University. He did graduate work at the University of Hawaii, then served in Brazil as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Rob taught art classes in Brisbane, Australia. His work hangs in the National Art Gallery in Canberra, Australia. He moved to Fredonia, NY where he lived for thirty-one years.

He received his MFA from SUNY Buffalo and taught art classes there and at SUNY College at Fredonia.

He worked as a consultant in a Vietnamese refugee camp in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia. And in Fredonia, he was a volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of

Chautauqua Co. The passions of his life were his

wife of nearly forty-six years, art, music, travel, politics, Asian cuisine, and

everything Tibetan.

Rob is survived by his wife, Joyce; his cats, Robbie, Mooby, and Marlowe; his sister, Sandy Ackerson, Overland Park, KS; his

niece, Beth (Charlie)

White, Tampa, FL; his nephews, Erik Ackerson,

St. Thos., USVI and Kirk (Stacy) Ackerson, Olathe, KS; a grandnephew and grandniece; and the fabulous "group" in Fredonia.

He will be interred at Graceland Cemetery in Weston, MO. A wake will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions to Literacy Volunteers or Lakeshore Humane Society, or any liberal cause.