Christopher Mark Stephan
Christopher Mark Stephan
Iowa City
Christopher Mark Stephan, Dec. 28, 1945-Nov. 24, 2022, died of pancreatic cancer. He was 76 years old.
Rosary will be at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Visitation will follow from 5 to 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at the Newman Center in Iowa City. Interment will immediately follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.
Chris was born and raised in New Hampton, Iowa, brother to Mary and son of Georgena and Clarence Stephan. He went to Ames, Iowa, to study civil engineering at Iowa State University, fulfilling a lifelong dream to be a civil engineer.
Soon after he married Madonna ‘Donna’ Kuennen, who was his wife for 53 years. Life after marriage took them Mankato, Minn., then down south to Iowa City, which would be their beloved home for the next 51 years. It was here that they had four children: Jessica, Katherine, Rebecca and Annie.
Chris was a partner at MMS Consultants, which planned and designed many of the roads and sewer and waste-water designs in Iowa City and beyond. He was a proud engineer and shared his knowledge in other ways: helping to keep buildings safe during various floods by building damns and dikes and assisting with Habitat for Humanity builds. His daughters are unable to drive past a retaining wall or a flood plain without passing comment.
Chris loved gardening, trying new foods, cycling and driving, especially in his Corvette. During retirement, he took up drawing, cycling and exploring with Donna. He loved Iowa City Public Library and was reading books, newspapers and magazines until the very end. Although a Cyclone, Chris attended hundreds of Hawkeye games, in particular the women’s basketball team. Chris loved his family and spent a lot of time in Kansas City, Minneapolis and Liverpool, UK.
Chris was preceded in death by his daughter, Rebecca; and his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Madonna; and daughters, Jessica (Bryan, Luke, Eli): Katherine (Martin, Ezra and Iris); and Annie (Jeff, Hayes and Ingrid).
The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to Iowa City Hospice for their wonderful care.
Memorials may be made to the Newman Center or to the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation.
Online condolences may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.