Ranger Exes Memorial - RHS Class of 1963

James Stephens JAMES C. STEPHENS, 63, was the son of Lonnie C. & Irene Vaughan Stephens. He was born on Oct. 10, 1944 at Paris, TX. He attended Ranger High School in the Class of 1963 at Ranger, TX. His brother Curtis L. Stephens (RHS-1959) & wife, the former Annabeth Deffebach (RHS-1959) live in Naples, FL. A sister, Janice Stephens (RHS-1966), attended RHS her first two years until the family was transferred to Bronte, TX. She lives in Mesa, AZ, with her husband, Roy Aspbury. James was married to Susan Elaine and they had a son, Jonathan Ryan Stephens, now 32, & who is in the Navy and stationed on Whidby Island between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, with his wife Kristin, and an 8 week old son, Austin Edward Stephens. Jim was graduated from Texas A&M with a BS in Business Administration and continued his education at Texas A&M, receiving an MBA degree. After graduating from A&M with his Master's Degree, he went through Officer Candidate School and was in the Army from 1969-1971, serving as a company commander in Vietnam in 1969-1970, and was awarded two Bronze Stars. He has been living and working as a Business Manager/CFO for a large group of orthopedic doctors in the Orlando area for the last 18 or so years. Jim had been battling liver cancer for a couple of years and had been undergoing treatments at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. Apparently, that was unsuccessful, and Jim had been receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments while continuing to work in Orlando. He was still working on the Monday prior to his death on Saturday, October 27, 2007. He entered Hospice care on the day before his death. He died at his home in Orlando, FL, with his brother, Curtis, by his side. The family firmly believes Jim's cancer was a direct result of his service in Vietnam and considers him to be another casualty of the Vietnam War. Jim was an active member of many Vietnam Veterans groups in Orlando and participated in many Vietnam Vet's motorcycle events, riding his Harley, for various charities. Jim is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Curtis L. and Annabeth Stephens, their two sons, Derek Clayton (his 7 year old son, Christopher Kenkade "Kade", and Darren Blair Stephens, his wife Colleen, and 15 year old daughter, Desiree. He is also survived by his sister, Janice Aspbury and husband, Roy. Janice has a step-daughter, Shelley, by Roy's first marriage, and two grandchildren, twins Adam and Emily, age 10. Internment was at Florida National Cemetery with full military honors at Bushnell, FL.