Roll Call Tribute

Lane Barnett Stephenson
June 23, 1935 – January 6, 2022

Lane Barnett Stephenson passed away on January 6, 2022, at the age of 86 in Dallas, Texas, after a courageous year-long battle with heart disease. Throughout numerous surgeries and long hospital stays he always showed tremendous grace, patience, perseverance, and most notably, faith.

Born in Waxahachie, Texas on June 23, 1935, to Mildred Pauline (Raye) and Thomas Ferris Stephenson, he spent his childhood years in the Dallas area. He graduated from North Dallas High School in 1953 and continued his education as a journalism major at North Texas State University in Denton, where he met and married Mickie Calhoun. After graduating from college in 1957, he was commissioned into the Marine Corps, serving three years on active duty. He continued his military career in the Reserves until 1975, retiring with the rank of major. He often said joining the Marines was one of the best decisions he ever made and looked back fondly on his service to the nation he loved so dearly.

He resumed civilian life in 1960 as a reporter for the Tyler Courier Times and transitioned to a public relations position with Braniff International Airways in 1963. Then, in 1966 it was on to the second love of his life: Texas A&M University. His public information career in Aggieland spanned more than 50 years, where he witnessed many of the school's pivotal periods. Two of his proudest professional moments were earning his master's degree from A&M in 1977 and receiving the university's Distinguished Achievement Award in 1983.

His many other activities and accomplishments included authoring two books, teaching an introductory journalism class at A&M, running six marathons (and over 25,000 lifetime miles), serving a term on the College Station City Council, and spending two weeks in the Holy Land in 2017, where he was baptized in the Jordan River. However, he would tell you his proudest accomplishment was being "Grandfather" to his grandchildren, Tyler and Julia.

Preceded in death by his parents, he is survived by Mickie, sons Chris (and wife Janet) and Tim (and wife Beth), daughter Laurel, and grandchildren Tyler '18 and Julia.

He will be buried with military honors in a private ceremony at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery on January 24, 2022. A public memorial service will be held at Central Baptist Church in College Station on January 29 at 1:00, and everyone is encouraged to dress casually in maroon and/or white. The memorial service will also be live-streamed at: https://vimeo.com/665271647/5e788e77c4.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Wounded Warrior Project or USO.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.rollingoaksfuneralhome.com for the STEPHENSON family.