FULTON, NY – Rev. Robert B. Stephenson, 69, of Fulton, NY, passed away on Thursday, May 4, 2017, at St. Luke Residential Health Services in Oswego after a brief illness.
He was born on March 14, 1948, to his parents the late, Robert H. and Lorene Pardue Stephenson.
Father Bob graduated from Oswego Catholic High School class of 1967 and went on to become a Roman Catholic Priest being educated at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Mass.; St. Mary’s College in Kentucky; Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, NY and University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
Father Bob was ordained a priest on May 13, 1978. He served as an Associate Pastor at St. Andrew’s Church in Binghamton, Holy Family Church in Fulton and St. Paul’s Church in Oswego.
Father Bob was Pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Binghamton, St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Oswego and Holy Family and St. Michael’s churches in Fulton.
He served at the Chancery in Syracuse as Director of Catholic Charities from 1987-1999; as administrator at St. John the Evangelist Church in Syracuse and as Parochial Vicar at The Church of the Nativity in LaFayette until his retirement in 2016.
He also served on the board of directors and as Chaplain at St. Luke Health Services in Oswego from 1982-2017 and was a member of the Association of Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem as well as the Knights of Columbus Council #254 in Fulton and Council #206 in Binghamton.
Father Bob served as Chaplain of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas in Fulton and the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Binghamton.
Wherever he went, Father Bob touched hearts and was well loved by all who knew him.
He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Kathy Stephenson; and niece, Amy Stephenson of Minetto; sister, Margaret Stephenson of South Carolina; step-mother, Kay Williams Stephenson of Pennsylvania; step-brother, Frank Williams (Stacey) of Pennsylvania; and several cousins.
Father Bob will be welcomed into his home parish, The Church of the Holy Trinity, corner of Rochester and South Third streets in Fulton, where he will lie in state from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday, May 8, for those wishing to pay their respects, with a Vigil for a Deceased Priest at 7 p.m. Monday.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 9, at the church with burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery on South Seventh Street in Fulton immediately following.
Memorial contributions are encouraged to be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105-9959 or to St. Luke John Foster Burden Fund, 299 E. River Road, Oswego, NY 13126.
Foster Funeral Home has care of the arrangements.
Foster Funeral Home, Inc.
www.fosterfuneralhome.com
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So very sorry for your loss! Thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.