Dr. Buzz Stevens received an engineering degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and completed his Doctor of Religion degree at Clairemont School of Theology in 1967.

He also served 9 years in the U. S. Naval Reserves. Buzz served the California-Arizona Desert Southwest Conference as an Elder in the United Methodist Church starting as a youth pastor in Pacific Palisades; then as Senior Pastor of Asbury UMC in Los Angeles, where he spent time doing street ministry on skid row that impacted his career and his single encounter concept.

From there he went to Tempe, and Buzz served as the campus minister and Associate Pastor. The family made life-long connections with the students at the Wesley Foundation. As he reached out to the ASU administration working with the Dean of Students, he was also appointed to be a university chaplain with an office in Danforth Chapel and assisted in developing the new Department of Religion on campus.

In 1974 the Stevens moved to San Diego's Point Loma UMC where lay members and the clergy were encouraged to write artistic scripts, build sets, and perform for their annual pledge drives. This was also where Buzz began his life-long commitment to health wellness.

The location by the sea was attractive to other clergy and there were several parsonage exchanges, even to England.

The family moved to Tucson in 1980 as Buzz was appointed senior pastor and Campus Minister to First UMC. A big job! Soon a separate Campus Ministry was established. The Sanctuary Movement was controversial then, and the church offered opportunities for arbitration of the conflict. Soon after, Buzz began coordinating student mission trips to South America. Five short years later, Buzz became a District Superintendent and was able to travel throughout Southern Arizona, meeting new people throughout the Desert Southwest. The hard work and dedication of Clergy and laity in the many small churches in Southern Arizona never ceased to be a source of admiration and appreciation for him.

Their final appointment was First Church Phoenix. Here he learned more about the site of Cosanti, the futuristic venue that was based on the theology of Thehard de Chardin. Buzz thought it would create the possibility for the church, especially its young people, to think of the future of the church as he started to bring them to the site and interact with the architects. Interacting with and learning from other people and cultures was of great interest to Buzz, and he encouraged church members, of all ages, to participate in the many mission trips, both domestic and foreign, sponsored by the church.

He was able to retire in 2002 when he could spend more time with his beloved family and reflect and write on his career and experiences about his single encounters. In retirement Buzz served as an interim superintendent in Southern California, for 6 months in 2013. It was a time to catch up with former colleagues and interact with large and small churches in a changing and challenging time. He also worked for the School of Theology in Claremont, contacting and encouraging off-campus Arizona students. At the same time, he promoted a new curriculum on Ethics.

Buzz is survived by wife, Liv; daughters, Christine Vega (Lonnie), Sonja Leeds (Arthur), grandchildren; Lonnie Jr (Ashley), Cameron, Julia, John, Riley, Adison; great-grandchildren Zander and Lilly; sister Patty Miller; niece and nephew Betsy and David; extended family, many friends - and strangers.

A celebration of life for Buzz was held on April 25, 2026.