HAMPTON — Brian J. Stevens, 72, of Hampton, died October 29, 2026, in hospice care at Franklin General Hospital following a rapidly progressing illness with ALS, diagnosed this past spring. A music educator for 33 years, longtime municipal band director and active community volunteer, Brian helped generations of young musicians develop their abilities and take pride in their accomplishments.
Public visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, November 1, at Woodley Funeral Home, 306 Central Ave. E., in Hampton. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 2, at Hampton United Methodist Church, 100 Central Ave. E. Burial will be at Hampton Cemetery. Woodley Funeral Home and Crematory of Hampton is caring for Brian and his family.
Born January 26, 1954, to Maurice and Mona (Hallowell) Stevens, Brian grew up in Sibley and graduated from Sibley High School in 1972. His school years included football, track, speech and drama, along with induction into the National Honor Society.
Music became a lasting part of his life early on. He studied piano, sang in vocal ensembles and played in the school band. Those years also brought a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Robbi Moody.
Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education, with a focus on low brass, from Morningside College. He and Robbi married the summer before his senior year.
In 1976, the Hampton School District hired Brian as an elementary and middle school band director. He remained in teaching until his retirement in 2009, finding satisfaction in helping students work toward demanding goals and hear the results of their efforts.
His jazz and concert bands earned opportunities to participate in state competitions and perform at Iowa Bandmasters conventions in Des Moines in 1980, 1983, 1990, 2002 and 2008. Working alongside fellow educators Leon Kuehner and Joan Philgreen, Brian helped sustain the Hampton-Dumont bands’ “Tradition of Excellence.”
His work brought recognition beyond the classroom. In 1983, he received the American School Band Directors Association’s national Stanbury Award. He received the Karl L. King Distinguished Service Award from the North Central Iowa Bandmasters Association’s North Central District as an active director in 2001 and again as a retiree in 2011.
Brian also received the Iowa Masonic Teacher of the Year Award from the Grand Lodge of Iowa, A.F. & A.M., in 2002. He was a member of Anchor Lodge No. 191.
Retirement from teaching opened other avenues of service. Brian drove a truck and later a school bus for Hampton-Dumont. Beginning in July 2012, he worked as an assistant with Sietsema-Vogel Funeral Home and Woodley Funeral Home, continuing until March 2026.
His music reached well beyond school concerts. Brian directed the Hampton Municipal Band from 1978 to 2010 and continued playing tuba with the group through 2025.
He also played tuba and trombone with the NIACC Concert Band, Yupitsa Polka Band, Nonsemble Big Band, New Horizons Band of Mason City, Hampton Municipal Brass, Mason City Municipal Band, Scenic City Big Band and other area ensembles. He was among the early members of the Franklin Chorale.
Faith was another steady part of Brian’s life. At Hampton United Methodist Church, he served as finance secretary and on Staff Parish Relations, sang in the choir and participated in men’s fellowship. He helped coordinate music for many Christmas Eve services, contributing on piano, tuba and trombone.
Brian mentored young people in confirmation classes, and he and Robbi served for several years as junior youth fellowship leaders. His family’s tribute through Woodley Funeral Home describes his death in the context of the healing he had prayed for.
Brian’s community involvement included Franklin County Tourism, Friends of the Hampton Cemetery and Franklin County Historic Preservation. The Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce recognized his contributions with merit awards in 1983, 1996, 2001 and 2010.
Away from rehearsals and community commitments, Brian worked with wood, building furniture, cabinetry and frames for his family’s home, his church, the funeral home and friends.
A longtime interest in railroads grew into an extensive model railroad hobby. He assembled hundreds of engines and cars for a digitally controlled basement layout and became a charter member of the North Central Iowa Model Railroad Club at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hampton.
Brian is survived by his wife, Roberta “Robbi” Stevens of Hampton; son, Brian Douglas “Doug” Stevens (Megan) of Des Moines; daughter, Brooke Stevens (Jeffrey Vollmer) of Arlington, Virginia; and grandchildren, Caleb and Ashley Stevens of Des Moines.
He also leaves his sister, Rebecca Krogman (Don) of Sibley; brother, Barry Stevens of Lake City; and many in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends, former students and colleagues.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Mona Stevens, and his father- and mother-in-law, Robert and Twyla Moody.
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