Dr. Mavis Champion, 92, Vero Beach
Dr. Mavis Champion, 92, died May 14, 2017, in Vero Beach. She spent much of her life in the Boston area, and for the last 14 years lived in Vero Beach.
Born in Brisbane, Australia, she met her late husband, the physicist Dr. Kenneth Champion, of Sydney, Australia, in England.
Mavis was a practicing dentist, active in dental research, and taught at the University of Queensland, the University of Birmingham UK, and Tufts University.
Mavis is survived by four children; Annette Champion, of Lake Forest, Ill., Gwen Baumann, of Niles, Ill., Geoff Champion, of South Plainfield, N.J., and Sandi Champion, of Hopkinton, Mass. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Andrea Champion, Karl Baumann, Eric Baumann, Vanessa Champion, Natalie Baumann, Christopher Benham, and Roger Benham; and many relatives in Australia, including Dr. Del Hinckley and Jenny Blackman AO.
An accomplished musician, Mavis played the piano and sang with the Lexington Choral Society, the Vero Beach Choral Society, the Silver Tones, and several church choirs.
She was an avid gardener and enjoyed growing tropical plants that reminded her of Australia. A life-long traveler, in her early 20s she traveled by ship from Australia to post-war England, playing the piano with a young violinist in a concert and radio broadcast, and providing shipboard dental care. In her late 80s she sang in a July 4th concert on the USS Missouri in Honolulu, attended a wedding in Los Angeles, and made a solo trip to Australia.
Mavis volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and WillowBrooke Court. She was a member of the St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, Daughters of the British Empire, American Association of University Woman, Woman’s Dental Society of Massachusetts, New England Dental Society, and International Association of Dental Research.
On May 20, 2017, Mavis was buried beside her husband in the Westview Cemetery in Lexington, Mass., after a service at the Church of our Redeemer.
A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. at the St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Vero Beach, followed by a reception.
Neal W. Stevens, 85, Vero Beach
Neal W. Stevens, 85, of Vero Beach, formerly of Palm City, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Nov. 3, 2017. He was born in Philadelphia, Pa., to Cornelius and Edith Stevens in 1931.
Neal graduated from Nutley High School in New Jersey in 1950 and then The University of Alabama in 1954. He then served two years in the army in Europe during the Korean War.
Neal worked in the retail business for over 40 years and loved every minute of it.
Neal is survived by his wife, Susan; sons, Kyle and his wife, Catherine, of Vero Beach, and Craig and his wife, Sharise, of Palm City. Neal’s four grandchildren Henry, Spencer, Elliot and Lyla were his pride and joy…Go Gators!
At his request there will be no service. A celebration of Neal’s life for family and friends will be held at a later date.
Our family will be forever grateful to Trust Bridge Hospice at JFK Hospital in Atlantis, Fla., for their loving care during his final hours.
