Lucille Stephenson

Lucille Ann Stephenson passed away Monday, August 5th 2013 after a long battle with cancer. She was born September 16, 1935 and grew up in Saluda, NC. She was the daughter of the late State Senator Joseph Raymond Stephenson, Sr. and Kathleen (née Garren) Stephenson Jelley and sister of the late Joseph Raymond Stephenson, Jr. Ms. Stephenson was a graduate of UNC Greensboro (then Woman's College) with a BA in History and strong credits in Political Science and English. She received a full fellowship to study at the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. She graduated with an MA in International Law and Diplomacy from Hopkins in 1959. At Hopkins she met and subsequently married fellow student and soon to be career diplomat, Felix S. Bloch. She spent the next 30 years proudly and with a great sense of duty serving her beloved country in postings in Düsseldorf, Caracas, West and East Berlin, Singapore and Vienna, Austria. When not acting in her capacity as diplomatic spouse and mother she held the following positions: she was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Medical Education of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Associate Executive Director of the World Federation for Medical Education, an "Expert on Mission" for the UNIDO, a consultant to the World Health Organization and Executive Director of the American Austrian Foundation. Ms. Stephenson is survived by her daughter Andrea Bloch and her beloved Maltese, Orion of Chapel Hill, NC; her daughter Kathie Bloch Swenson and son in law Bill Swenson, and four grandsons, Mac, Peter, Liam and Cooper Swenson of Chappaqua, NY and her niece Cindy Lucille Tuttle (née Stephenson) of King, NC. A celebration of her life is planned for Saturday, August 24th at 11 am at The Chapel in the Pines in Chapel Hill. An interment will be held the following day in Saluda, NC. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in her memory to the Southern Poverty Law Center or to a local animal shelter of your choice Online condolences may be made at www.walkersfuneralservice.com