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Gregory Stevens , Age: 72
June 21, 1951 - February 05, 2024
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Greg Stevens, 72, died yesterday morning in Olympia, Wa, An enthusiastic performer and
raconteur, Greg liked to say he was “born at a very early age — in a barn, just like Jesus” to
Herman Dale and LaVeta Rose Stevens in Denver, Mo., June 21, 1951. When he was a toddler,
his family moved to Plainview near Wichita, Kan. His mother taught him to play guitar, and it
was not long before he was building a fan base by playing and singing in regional talent
contests. At age 10, he and his musical siblings, “The Stevens Brothers,” traveled to
Providence, R.I. to perform on WPRO-TV. It was the start of a professional musical career that
dazzled audiences all over the country.
He enrolled at Wichita State University in the fall of 1969 and was quickly invited to join a band,
The Wichita Linemen, which performed in association with KFDI Radio. The band was a Kansas
club fixture for three decades, averaging over 200 live performances a year. His daughter
Amanda vividly remembers a long series of New Year’s Eve concerts at The Cotillion Ballroom
in Wichita. Not only was Greg a talented singer and songwriter, he could play just about
anything — banjo, bass guitar, fiddle, harmonica, keyboards, saxophone — though his
instrument of choice was a hot pink electric guitar with burnt sienna, ostrich boots to match. The
Wichita Linemen released four albums in the 1970s: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch; The
Wichita Linemen, Live at The Cowboy and Greg’s favorite, Alive & Kickin’ at Piqua. He booked
and/or performed alongside some of country and rock music’s preeminent talents, including
Junior Brown, Vince Gill, Martina McBride and Reba McEntire, but was proudest of his
performances and longtime friendship with Charlie Daniels. The Linemen played their swan
song on New Year’s Eve, 2000, in a Ruidoso, N.M. gig with The Charlie Daniels Band and, in
2014, were inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, on March 13, 1974, Greg wed the love of his life, Jeannie Howland. They were
happily married for just shy of 50 years and raised three successful children: Amanda Stevens,
Buddy Stevens and Sammy Finnesgard. After a quarter century of near-perpetual touring, Greg
and Jeannie moved to Washington state in 1999 to be closer to her brother Kenny and his
family.
Greg’s day job was in radio announcement and advertising until his retirement from radio in
2018. Over the years he wrote and performed jingles that were fixtures in the Kansan
soundscape. Amanda remembers a classmate singing his “Reddi Rooter” jingle and suggesting
that songwriter must be filthy rich. Greg served on local boards of directors including the
Salvation Army, YMCA and the Olympia Master Builders Association, for which he was
appointed associate council vice president and chair of the popular Big Home and Garden (now
Remodel) Show. The president of Rotary Club of Hawks Prairie from 2008 to 2009, Greg
received that organization’s Service Above Self Award and the Volunteer Center’s Volunteer of
the Week Award. He was twice named Olympia Master Builders’ Associate of the Year and, in
2008, led the creation of the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival in Lacey, WA.
Greg succumbed to cancer and related health issues on Feb. 5. He is survived by those he
treasured most: his devoted wife, three children and two grandchildren. In addition, his music
and affable, indomitable, larger-than-life personality will live on in the hearts and memories of
friends, fans and admirers from coast to coast.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Condolences

Glynda G Province February 17, 2024

Cousin-in-law Nowata , Oklahoma

I liked Greg and I loved his laugh. He had an unforgettable laugh. I will miss him. My deepest condolences to Jeannie

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