Dr. Lynn Rae Steveson
Dr. Lynn Rae Steveson, 83, of Anna, died on April 4, 2023, at Herrin Hospital.
She was born in Chicago on April 23, 1939. Her father was Otto E. Fenske, a furniture manufacturer, and her mother was Helen Rupp Fenske, a former teacher of high school math.
She has one sister, Christine (Scallon) of Wisconsin; two nephews, Hugh and Sean Scallon; and a niece, Becky Scallon.
Her elementary and secondary education were completed in suburban Evanston and Glenview.
She received her bachelor of science degree in speech education from Northwestern University in 1962 and her master’s degree in elementary education from National Louis University in 1968. In 1983, she received her Ph.D. in speech communication and theatre from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Her professional career was devoted to teaching. She taught all age levels, from kindergarten through graduate students.
She taught in the Evanston public schools, at SIU, at Giant City Elementary School, University School, Cairo High School and Anna School District No. 37.
She taught public speaking, English, creative dramatics, 6th grade and business and professional communications.
She won two awards. In her undergraduate work at Northwestern, she received the Winifred Ward Prize for excellence in children’s theatre. In 1997, she was honored by the Illinois Theatre Association for outstanding work in creative drama.
Lynn married Paul Kenneth Steveson of Carbondale on Nov. 22, 1982, having been previously married to Earl Edsel Brandley from 1969-1974. Earl was deceased.
Paul and Lynn adopted a daughter, Mary Marie (Mixen). They had two grandsons, Ryan and Austin. There are also eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren by Paul’s previous marriage. Also surviving are stepdaughters Barbara, Viola, and Rose and stepsons Lester and David.
In the summer of 1982, Lynn and her husband Paul moved to a farm 6 miles east of Anna. Paul was the scenery builder and mover for Lynn’s plays.
Her work in drama in Anna began shortly after their arrival, with the Union County Arts Council.
She appeared on stage as an actress in two plays, “Cheaper by the Dozen,” playing the mother, and “A Christmas Carol,” playing a bag lady. Both of these productions were directed by former WRAJ radio personality Tom Ellison.
She then directed children’s plays for the arts council. These included, “Flat Stanley,” “Harry and the Lady Next Door,” “The Phantom Tollbooth” and “The Pushcart War.” This production was the final show done by the arts council. She was the last president of this organization.
After retiring from a five year stint as an English teacher and speech coach at Cairo High School in 1995, she joined the staff of Anna’s Elementary District No. 37. She worked in the areas of drama, and gifted education until her second retirement in May of 2002.
During her tenure in District No. 37, she directed many productions. Some of these were “Many Moons,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Cinderella,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Mother Goose Meets Dr. Seuss,” “The Wizard of Oz,” various Winnie the Pooh stories, “The Littlest Angel,” “A Christmas Carol,” “A Christmas Collage,” and a staged reading of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
In addition to teaching the drama and working with gifted units, she also had small dance troupes for two years, assisting with music choices and choreography.
She also wrote and directed the short play used as a part of the closing of Davie School. She estimated that over her career, she had probably directed about 70 or more plays.
In the summer of 2003, PAST of Anna approached her and she wrote and directed an adaptation of Jan Karon’s novel, “At Home in Mitford.” This was titled, “Scenes From Mitford,” as no attempt was made to cover the entire book. She also wrote and directed a short children’s story by Karon, “Miss Fannie’s Hat.”
“Moments to Remember,” an original play, is scripted oral history. It was based on real people who lived in Anna. The play was set on July 31, 1958. It was presented at the Henry Dillow Grandstand in Anna City Park on June 29, 2004. Approximately 300 people saw the production, which was commissioned as a part of Anna’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.
She said “Working on this play over a five month period has made me feel much more a part of Anna. I have met so many wonderful new people, and learned so much more about those who have gone on and the development of Anna though the years. I never realized community service could be so much fun.”
She had just finished a short Christmas play called, “Holding Christmas,” and she was working on scripting another Jan Karon novel for PAST. This is Karon’s Christmas novel, “Shepherds Abiding.”
She also enjoyed reading, writing poetry, and gardening and working on planning and finishing the nature trail she and Paul had created in their enchanted forest.
Funeral services were at 3 p.m. Monday, April 10, at Mt. Moriah Lutheran Church in Anna, with the Rev. Mark Hasty officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Marshall, Ark.
Crain Funeral Home in Anna-Jonesboro is in charge of arrangements.