of the House of Bishops Commission on Religious Communities and was on the Board of Directors of the national organization of Episcopalians for Life. He was enrolled as a life member of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament on April 11, 1983. Ecumenism was a strong interest of Stevens. He built up the diocese's relationship with Wisconsin LARCUM (Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic-United Methodist) and with EDEO (Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical Officers) and signed an expansive covenant with the local Roman Catholic Diocese and ELCA Lutheran Synod. Those associated with him, with his most conservative views, were often surprised to hear him exhort ecumenists to “just get on with it,” without splitting theological hairs. Though conservative himself, Bishop Stevens made it his mission to establish a climate open to diversity of opinion, one which would not lead to polarization among those of opposing views. A modest, unassuming man, he treated everyone with unfailing courtesy and was a sympathetic listener. He expected his clergy and people to handle differences with tolerance and good manners. Those who worked with him soon perceived just how much he hated loud arguments, or hectoring language. His sermons often proclaimed that the Church on earth was “a hospital for sinners,” lest people forget that there would always be disagreement, mistakes, human mess. His participation in numerous devotional societies expressed his conviction that prayer was vital to the life of any Christian body. He returned to Plantation, Florida following his retirement in January, 1994. William Louis Stevens died November 4, 1997, after a two-year struggle with the results of a debilitating stroke. A requiem mass was held at St. Benedict's Church, Plantation, Florida. His cremated remains are buried in St. Benedict's Memorial Garden. A Memorial Service was held at the Cathedral of St. Paul the Apostle in Fond du Lac. Notes References Website of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, Archives, Bishops Obituaries, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, November 8th, 1997. 1997 deaths 1932 births People from Yuba City, California People from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin People from Plantation, Florida 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Fond du Lac 20th-century American clergy