Lester H. “Stevie” Stephenson, Jr. – 85, of North Reading, formerly of Melrose, died at his home on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. He was the beloved husband of the late Marie E. (MacIntosh) Stephenson.
Born in Lynn, MA on May 23, 1930. He was the son of the late Lester H. Stephenson, Sr. and Marion (Roberts) Stephenson. He was raised and attended school in Melrose and was a graduate of Melrose High School. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Lester was a Train Master for the Boston and Maine Railroad for 40 years, he worked from 1947 to 1987, he later worked for Amtrak for 8 years and was also a consultant for the MBTA for ten years. He was a resident of North Reading since 1966 and was a member of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church. He was a member of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, Boston Street Railway Association and Old Wheels.
He was a loving father and grandfather. He enjoyed volunteering at the Seashore Trolley Museum and meeting for lunches with his retired railroad friends at monthly Old Wheels meetings.
Family members include his loving son, Donald Stephenson and his wife Cheryl and his loving daughter, Shanna Pagliuca; five cherished grandchildren, Zachary Stephenson, Stephen Pagliuca, Jr., Ray Ray Pagliuca, Jessica Stephenson and Tyler Pagliuca, all of North Reading; his brother, Thomas Stephenson and wife Anne of Weeks Mills, ME and his sister, Priscilla Lucey and her husband Bob of Melrose.
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend calling hours at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow St., North Reading on Saturday, March 12, from 10 to 1 PM, followed by a luncheon at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 235 Park Street, North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to: Seashore Trolley Museum, P.O. Box A, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, attention to Car 4387 or to the Car Barn Fund. www.croswellfuneralhome.com
Lester H. Stephenson, Jr.
1930-2016
Lester Stephenson, Jr., 85, known to his family and friends as “Stevie,” left us in the early morning of March 1, 2016, after a period of poor health. Stevie is survived by his children, Donald Stephenson and his wife Cheryl, and Shanna Pagliuca; his brother Thomas Stephenson and his wife Anne of Weeks Mills, Maine; his sister Priscilla Lucey and her husband Bob of Melrose; and his five grandchildren: Zachary Stephenson, Jessica Stephenson, Ray Ray Pagliuca, Stephen Pagliuca, and Tyler Pagliuca.
Stevie was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on May 23, 1930. He was raised in Melrose, Massachusetts, the son of the late Lester H. Stephenson, Sr., and the late Marion (Roberts) Stephenson. In 1966 he married the late Marie (MacIntosh) E. Stephenson and moved to North Reading. Stevie served in the armed forces in the Army Reserves Railroad Battalion. He went to work for the Boston & Maine Railroad in 1947, steadily working his way to Trainmaster at North Station. He continued his work with AMTRAK, ending in 1994. After AMTRAK, he worked as an MBTA commuter rail consultant until 2004. Throughout his long career, Stevie was a stickler for protocol but he recognized when flexibility was appropriate.
Stevie was best known as an intensely active member of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. He first appeared in the 1947 museum annual report which mentioned the Stephensons. His dad, Lester H. Stephenson, Sr., was a longtime operator for the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company. Lester, Sr., was an early and very active Seashore member, and his interest in mass transit passed easily from father to son.
Stevie was elected a Member Trustee of the museum at the annual meeting on February 10, 1957, to fill the post vacated by Eliot Sterling. Stevie served as a trustee until May 17, 1975. He was General Manager of the museum from April 24, 1960, to May 17, 1975, and editor of The Seashore Trolley Museum Dispatch from 1959–1972.
In addition to his official positions, Stevie was a skilled tractor-trailer driver and was responsible for moving many streetcars and other transit vehicles to the museum as well as innumerable truckloads of materials. In the years that followed his service as a museum official, Stevie continued as an active volunteer, always lending a helping hand to keep the organization moving ahead. He often worked behind the scenes in the museum gift shop, and was a frequent crew member in the ongoing public operation along with his son, Donald, especially on Fridays during the operating season.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Stevie helped the Railroad Enthusiasts organize excursions, and in the 1980s with his friend of many years, Bill Crawford, assisted the Mass. Bay RRE organize an impressive number of rare mileage fantrips between 1981 and 1986, “greasing the skids” with officialdom to make the trips happen.
As a member of the Boston Street Railway Association and the Friends of Bedford Depot Park, Stevie provided considerable information and many photographs for publication. He treasured his monthly luncheon attendance at “Old Wheels” meetings, sharing a lifetime of experience with his railroad colleagues of years gone by. He also was an active volunteer at Seashore’s operation in Lowell with the National Park Service, switching off on the running of New Orleans car No. 966 with his partner, John Grady.
In 2009, the museum elevated Stevie to the position of Senior Trustee, befitting his lifetime of service and bringing his rich trove of experience to the Board of Trustees. We have lost a great friend and a major player in the fields of railroad and street railway history and preservation. Rest in peace, Lester; you will be sorely missed.
