Lynn Gifford Stedman, Jr.  1921 - 2004

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• Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	13 Oct 1921	Cleveland, Cuyahoga Co., OH
  Gender	Male
  Died	23 Apr 2004	Detroit, Wayne Co., MI
  Cremated	Aft 23 Apr 2004	Detroit, Wayne Co., MI
  Obituary	Aft 23 Apr 2004
  	Lynn G. Stedman, Jr. dedicated his life to the sport of sailing. Considered a dean of sailing and statesman, Mr. Stedman weathered tough storms at times and enjoyed calm seas at others, but always shared his passion for everything nautical with those he encountered along the way. Mr. Stedman died of complications from a stroke on Friday, April 23, 2004, at St. John Hospital in Detroit. He was 82. Mr. Stedman was a life insurance and investment advisor. He was a past President of the Financial and Estate Planning Council of Detroit, a past President of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, a Chartered Life Underwriter, and a Licensed Life Insurance Counselor. He was born in Cleveland in 1921. Lynn started sailing with his father at the Detroit Yacht Club at the age of seven. Mr. Stedman later graduated from Detroit Southeastern High School. In 1941, Dr. William Revelli's selection of Mr. Stedman as drum major made him the only freshman ever to lead the Michigan Marching Band. While Mr. Stedman attended the University, he was also a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Naval ROTC. In 1944, a call to war interrupted his academic career, and LTJG Stedman served aboard the USS Marsh, a destroyer escort in the South Pacific. Following World War II, Mr. Stedman returned to the University of Michigan, where he again led the band as drum major. After his graduation with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1947, he joined the sales team of Crawford Door Sales. In 1961, Mr. Stedman brought his skills as a salesperson to the life insurance field. During his first year in the business, he qualified for membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, and later became a Life Member. For his long-time service to the life insurance and financial community, he was granted the Meyers Memorial Award. During a long career, Mr. Stedman assisted clients with life insurance, investments, estate planning, and most recently, he was a pioneer in the relatively new field of insurance life settlements. In spite of his professional achievements, sailing was always his first love: fixing, sailing, and racing boats, as well as training a new generation of sailors, most notably J.P. McCarthy. Towards the end of a long racing career, during which he received countless awards, he won the Detroit River Yachting Association's season championship seven out of nine years, in four different classes, with an all-family crew. In addition to serving as crew and skipper on countless boats, he helped chart the course for the sport of sailing. He had a lifelong association with Bayview Yacht Club and the Detroit Yacht Club. In 1955, he spearheaded efforts to organize junior sailing among all the clubs in Detroit. Mr. Stedman was Commodore of Bayview Yacht Club in 1957. He chaired the committee that reorganized the North American Yacht Racing Union as the United States Yacht Racing Union. During his presidency of the latter organization from 1975-1977, the USYRU (since 1991, known as US SAILING) was recognized for the first time as the governing body for sailing in the United States. Mr. Stedman was on the Board of Directors for the International Yacht Racing Union (now the International Sailing Federation). He served as a judge for races including the Canada's Cup; Newport, RI to Bermuda race; the Congressional Cup; the Admiral's Cup; the Kenwood Cup; and both the Port Huron-Mackinac and Chicago-Mackinac races. In 1986, USYRU awarded him the Herreshoff Trophy, the most prestigious award for sailing in the United States, for his outstanding contributions to the sport. Mr. Stedman's community involvement extended beyond sailing. He was a long-time member of the Planned Giving Committee of the Salvation Army as well as an active member of the Mariners' Church. Visitation will be from 1-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Charles Verheyden Funeral Home, 16300 Mack Ave. in Grosse Pointe Park. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Mariners' Church of Detroit, 170 E. Jefferson. Survivors include wife, Joyce; brother, Albert; two daughters, Katherine Raulston (Charles) and Judy Wilcox (Russell); a son, Lynn, III (Patricia); two step-sons, Edward Gaffney (Julia) and Corey Gaffney; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
  Obituary	25 Apr 2004	Detroit, Wayne Co., MI
  	Detroit Free Press
  	April 23, 2004. Beloved husband of Joyce. Loving father of Katherine (Charles) Raulston, Lynn, III (Patricia) and Judy (Russ) Wilcox. Former father-in-law of James A. Baubie, Jr.; step-father of Edward J. Gaffney, III (Julia) and Corey T. Gaffney. Dearest grandfather of James (Deanna), Meghan (Brooke), Britt (Tamara), Timothy, Scott, Katherine, Frank, and Mary and great-grandfather of Christopher, Brandon, and William. Brother of Albert H. Stedman, II. Memorial gathering Thursday 1-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Chas. Verheyden, Inc., 16300 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe. Memorial Service Friday 10:30 a.m. at Mariners Church, 170 E. Jefferson, Detroit. Memorial contributions to the Salvation Army appreciated.
  Buried	30 Apr 2004	Mariners Church Columbarium - Detroit, Wayne Co., MI
  	Columbarium, H-8
  Person ID	I64623	Stedman/Steadman/Steedman Families of the New World
  Last Modified	11 Feb 2008 00:18:00
  Father	Lynn Gifford Stedman, Sr., b. 5 Dec 1890, Chelsea, Washtenaw Co., MI
  Mother	Jeanne DeValier, b. 1898, Lyon, ____, Rhône-Alpes, France
  Family ID	F19403	Group Sheet
  Family 1	Margaret Jane Manville, b. 3 Nov 1922, Highland Park, Wayne Co., MI
  Married	28 Feb 1944	Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Co., MI
  Children	1. Katherine Jeanne Stedman   2. Lynn Gifford Stedman, III   3. Judith Ann "Judy" Stedman
  Last Modified	11 Feb 2008 00:19:00
  Family ID	F23931	Group Sheet
  Family 2	Joyce LeFrancois
  Last Modified	11 Feb 2008 00:19:00
  Family ID	F23925	Group Sheet

• Photos		Lynn Gifford Stedman, Jr.