Stephens, Willliam Edward MD age 93, of Minneapolis, MN died on Sept. 12, 2017. Born on Feb. 16, 1924 in Ocono- mowoc, WI, he is survived by Catherine Barbouletos (Tom) of Kalispell, MT, Dr. Carol Stephens of Minneapolis, Sarah Stephens of New York City, Lisa Neubauer (Jeff) of Racine, WI, 8 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Preceding him in death are his beloved wife, Judith Margaret Stephens (nee Clark, 1926-2012), his parents, Dr. Harvey and Viola Stephens, and his siblings, Dr. Robert Stephens and Jane S. Cope. Bill was an accomplished general surgeon and practiced medicine at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis for 40 years. He was a graduate of the Univ. of Wisconsin Medical School (Sigma Chi, 1947) where he met his wife of 63 years, Judy, of Burlington, IA, also a graduate of UW. They were married in 1948. During the Korean War, he served as a lieutenant in the Navy and assigned as commanding physician for the UDT elite special forces, precursor to the Navy SEALs, in the Caribbean. Bill trained for surgery at the Univ. of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) and Mercy Hospital in (Chicago) before he and Judy moved to Minneapolis in 1953. During his internship, he worked as a physician in West Virginia's coal mines. He completed his training at Minneapolis General Hospital in 1957. They resided in South Minneapolis for 34 years where they raised their four daughters. Bill was a life-long passionate regatta sailor. As a young boy, he raced skeeters and C-scows with his brother Bob on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc. Their father, Step, was a commodore of the Lac La Belle Yacht Club. In Minneapolis, he joined the Lake Harriet Yacht Club with his family and competed in regattas with the Inland Lake Yachting Association. He qualified in the Star boat class for the US Olympic trials while in the Navy. He and Judy spent many summers together, and with family, at their cottage on Lake Sylvia near Annandale, MN. Bill enjoyed many hobbies and interests: scuba diving, underwater photography, jazz, classical music, and sailing in the Caribbean. He and Judy took art history courses together and travelled the world. After retiring, he became a keen computer expert. He was a devoted son, husband, father, and grandfather. He will be deeply missed. In lieu of flowers, memorials go to MN Food Shelf, Planned Parenthood, or St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. A memorial service will be held at Lakewood Cemetery Chapel in Minneapolis on Oct. 21 at 2pm.