Luke James Stevens
June 19, 1982 - July 18, 2020
Obituary
Psalm 18:16-19
16 The LORD then reached down from heaven,
all the way from the sky to the sea.
The LORD reached down into Luke's darkness to rescue him!
The LORD took Luke out of his calamity and chaos
and drew Luke to himself,
taking Luke from the depths of his despair!
17 Even though Luke was helpless in the hands
of his hateful, strong enemy,
you, O LORD, were good to deliver Luke.
18 When Luke was at his weakest, his enemies attacked –
but the LORD held on to Luke.
19 The LORD'S love broke open the way
and the LORD brought Luke into a beautiful broad place. (This could be the throne room of heaven).
The LORD rescued Luke – because His delight is in Luke!
The Passion Translation
MADISON - Luke James Stevens, age 38, of Madison, passed away on Saturday, July 18, 2020. He was born on June 19, 1982, in Madison, the son of James and Cathy (Bremser) Stevens.
In high school from 1996-2000, Luke excelled in running cross country and track. He was ranked in the top 10 at the WISAA State Meets and was always placing high or placing first in many distance events at invitationals.
He worked as a communication tower technician for Wave Communications & Blackhawk Tower. His longest vertical climb was 1500’. He’d climb hundreds of feet in the air! “Luke was such an enjoyable young man & always had an energetic, enthusiastic attitude. He was always easy to talk with & is sorely missed by all here at Wave & Blackhawk.” Mike
Luke enjoyed playing disc golf, cribbage & sheepshead. He was very kind and caring and a friend to many people. He accepted people where they were at.
It is so important for young people to make positive, life affirming choices for themselves. Tragically, Luke chose and struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol. In this dark world, he would take one positive step forward, only to take two heart breaking steps back. Luke was in and out of treatment programs and jail time, but still Luke’s faith provided his family with hope for recovery, some peace and comfort. He said Jesus was his friend. With his last stint in jail he decided to delve into a Celebrate Recovery Step Study with his dad over the phone. (similar to AA, but with one difference-Jesus was the one and only true ‘higher power’) We were seeing more hope of help and healing as he answered questions relating to his life and addiction. Being more open and honest, he would often be open to prayer with his parents. During the covid shut down he would come home to join a few others on Sunday mornings to share, listen and pray. Jim and Cathy found solace in knowing that God had a strong love for their vibrant young son and was gently holding Luke in the palm of His hand.
On his birthday this year his mom sent him a text: “Dear Luke, Tis the day you were born. I looked up Luke 6:19 this morning and found it speaking to me and you about more of who Jesus is: “‘And all the multitude were seeking to touch Him (Jesus), for healing power was all the while going forth from Him and curing them all (saving them from severe illness or calamities).’” “Luke, do you believe this? Seek to touch Jesus and He will cure you of addictions. His healing power is for you/us today. May He increase the strength of your soul. Love, mom” His reply: “Thanks mom I do believe...love u”
Luke is survived by his parents; son, Caden Kleeman; sister, Amy (Chad Hojnacki) Stevens; brother, Cory Stevens; and many others: aunts, uncles and cousins.
In lieu of services, the family would love to have visits from friends and family. Please reach out to Jim or Cathy to set a time to get together to share a slice of life. If you don't have their contact information, please call the funeral home and they will get your contact information to Luke's family.
Memorials may be made in Luke’s name to Jeremy’s Place at www.tellurian.org/jeremy/. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420
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Memories
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Sara Rose Ahonen
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Out of all my cousins, I always felt closest to Luke. We definitely had the most in common. I’m going to miss him dearly. & sending so much love to his family. He was my buddy every time we had a chance to get together. I’m so so grateful I had the opportunity to hang out with him again in March when he was doing so much better. I’ll forever hold that memory closest to my heart. So young & so much more life to live. Dear Luke, I’ll see you again someday. 😞. I was looking forward to more times together & the plans we made. 😞 Sara Rose
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Tom Palmer
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It brings me to tears every time I think about what a wonderful young man Luke was to me. He was always respectful, kind, and showed genuine interest in me as a family friend and former teacher. Luke was an incredibly gifted athlete (he inherited great genes). I remember when he first showed interest in learning to skate ski - something that personally took me months to finally feel confident doing. He strapped on his borrowed equipment for the first time ever and left his dad and I slack-jawed at how quickly he mastered the sport and kept us huffing and puffing trying to keep up!
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Angela Divine
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Luke and I became great friends in college. He lived right behind me, and we had sooooo much fun every time we hung out. We had tons of bbq's in-between our back yards on the concrete. We used to have "ham offs" where we would all cook a ton of amazing food and invite friends and neighbors over to enjoy. This all started b/c one night I was craving ham with the cherry and pineapples on top - so it came to be. I remember his laugh, his smile, all the energy he had. I will miss him dearly. It's been about 7 years since I saw him in person. He was a light, a radiant human and wonderful to be around.
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Angela Divine
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Shared a photo.
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Rosie Skibba
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Jim & Cathy; Family & Relatives, Your Beautiful Son Luke is with the Lord in Heaven. Your wonderful obituary says so much - from you, about you, about Luke - to all of us .... Luke was a great, wonderful person. He always gave / did what he could. Luke always knew he always dearly by his entire family. He is with the Lord now. To the entire Stevens Family & Relatives we extend our deepest sympathy. Your loss is great. Luke will always remain in your hearts forever. May the Lord give each of you comfort. Skip & Rosie Skibba
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Trevor Peters
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There were a ton of us cousins growing up. Age separated the "clicks" and Luke fell into the older group. I was 3 years younger, too old for the younger cousins and too young for the older cousins. Luke, along with a few of the other older cousins, always let me tag along. Every year at the family reunion I would always get excited to see Luke and the others. There were maybe 4 of us guys that were part of the "Wolfpack" of cousins. I was hazed by the group a bit being the youngest, but still included, so I didn't mind. As everyone grew up and the age gap faded we became friends. Luke was one of those cousins that I considered my friend. Even though we lost touch the past few years, I know I could've called him up anytime and he would drop everything to hangout with me. I didn't know the Luke that struggled with addiction. I never saw him angry, sad, or depressed. He was always so positive and a blast to be around. I'll miss you cuz, watch over me and my family until we meet again.