Obituary

Gaylen Leroy Stephenson, 75, of Burrton died August 21, 2008 at the Robert J. Dole VA transitional living center in Wichita. He was born December 12, 1932 in Burrton, son of John and Nina McMahan Stephenson. He was aa 1951 graduate of Burrton High School, graduated from Fort Hays State University, earning a Bachelor and Masters degree in Physical Education in 1958 and 1959. and on August 1, 1953, maried Mary Alice Mellannd in Hutchinson.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve in 1954 and in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956. He had a great love for the outdoors and brought this to his career. He worked for the Chicago Parks Department, building playgrounds and managed the city parks department in Portales, New Mexiico.

In 1961 he began working as a recreational therapist for the Colorado State Mental Hospital where he developed an outdoor and physical education program to develop mentally disabled chidren and teens. He continued this work with Western State Mental Hospital in Lakewowod, Washington, throught the 1970s and early 1980s. He returned to Burrton in 1995.

Survivors: two daughters, Stephani Stephenson and Stacy Glassman of San Diego, California; son, Dane Stephenson, Woodinville, Washington; brother, Paul of Coronado, California and sister, Jacka Penner, Burrton; 5 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Darius Con Stephenson.

Services were held August 25 at First Christian Church, Burrton, with burial in the Burrton Cemetery.