Gene Stephens, last member of WWII police corps, dies in Las Vegas
Veteran Gene Stephens had a few tips on how to lead a long life.
The Summerlin resident told a friend once that the key was drinking gin and playing cards. When he was a chipper 94-year-old, he said his extended life was because of “tender loving care.”
When he turned 100 this year, he told the Review-Journal his secret was exercise and rest.
Stephens’ long life came to a peaceful end at a local hospital early Thursday after his health declined. He was the last living member of the original Military Police Corps, a branch of the U.S. Army officially formed in 1941.
Born in Edinburg, Texas, Stephens was in his early 20s when he was drafted into the Army in 1941 during World War II.
He turned 100 just over five weeks ago on July 13.
“That was a month ago so it’s a shock,” said Jill Ann Biondo, the senior “engage life” director at the Summerlin assisted-living facility where Stephens lived. “He lived a really good life.”
Stephens moved to Sun City Summerlin from Clearwater, Florida, about 14 years ago. For the last two years, he lived at the Atria Seville assisted-living facility, Biondo said.
Younger than his years
She described a man whose actions belied his advanced age. Stephens exercised in group classes almost every day. He was an avid golfer until about four years ago. At his birthday party in July, Stephens said he practiced tai chi and played gin rummy, blackjack and poker to keep his mind sharp.
Biondo said she would often find him playing cards or reading a set of instructions for a new game.
“He said, ‘I’m reading the instructions; I want to learn something new today,’ ” Biondo said, recalling one encounter.
Stephens loved Harley Davidson motorcycles until the end. While with the military police, he rode a Harley 74 motorcycle.
At his centennial birthday party, attended by more than 100 people, a group of motorcycle riders, including Metropolitan Police Department officers and members of the Southern Nevada Harley Owners Group, showed up to wish him a happy birthday.
“He pointed to them and said, ‘Those are my people,’” Biondo said.
All the motorcyclists lined up to individually thank him for his service. Stephens said it was the best part of his day.
“I was just dying to get on one of those; maybe one year,” Stephens said in July.
During the war, when he also an Army photographer, he was stationed in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Northamptonshire, England; London; Algiers; and finally Rome, before being honorably discharged.
He witnessed history during his service, which ended in 1945. Stephens escorted Gen. Dwight Eisenhower frequently at Eisenhower’s Bushy Park camp in London. He escorted President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Algeria when the former president was on his way to meet Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin in Tehran.
While in London, Stephens once pulled over a sedan going over the speed limit only to find out he accidentally pulled over the general himself.
“I didn’t give him a ticket, I knew better than that,” Stephens told the Review-Journal during an 2012 interview.
He ended his military service as a sergeant and then worked in real estate. In 1971 he started his own business building and owned nursing homes and retirement centers.
Leaving his mark
Rick Harne, executive director of the Military Police Regimental Association, described Stephens as a man with endless energy.
“I would say a hundred miles an hour would be a good description of him,” said Harne, who heard of Stephens’ death shortly after it happened on Thursday.
In 2016, Stephens received the association’s Order of Marechaussee award at the 75th anniversary of the military police’s formation. At the association’s ball, held in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, a general awarded Stephens the medals he received during his service in a ceremony that wasn’t performed in the ’40s.
Harne said he first met Stephens in 1994, when Stephens was initially invited to Fort Leonard Wood, where he would continue to attend the annual ball until his health prevented him from travelling.
“He flew in and ended up attending the ball, and believe it or not actually played in the golf tournament,” Harne said
When Stephens received the Order of Marechaussee award, he wore his original military police uniform that he would break out for Veteran’s Day and other special events.
“People were taking more pictures with him than the current leaders in the military,” Harne said. “He definitely left a mark for sure.”
Stephens wasn’t the type to brag about his service. He would share his stories with anyone, but would always ask what was happening in their lives, Biondo said.
When the motorcycle riders visited him in July, Stephens invited the strangers to his 101st birthday party.
“It’s an incredible story,” Biondo said. “Everybody hopes to have that story.”
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
Memorial service
A memorial service will be held for Summerlin resident Gene Stephens, although the time and date have not been determined, according to Jill Ann Biondo, the senior “engage life” director at the Atria Seville assisted-living facility where Stephens lived for the last two years.
Stephens, who had turned 100 July 13, is survived by two sons, Todd and Craig, along with family in Texas.
