David L. Stevenson

David L. Stevenson, 89, longtime postmaster, dies.

David L. Stevenson, who served 26 years as postmaster of Harpersfield, N.Y., died Dec. 17 in Kingston, N.Y., at age 89.

Stevenson was born Nov. 10, 1936, in Glen Cove, N.Y., to Donald G. and Florence A. Stevenson. When he was 13, his family moved to a farm on Peakes Brook Road in Delhi, N.Y., in Delaware County. He graduated from Delaware Academy in Delhi in 1954.

He joined the Air Force in 1958, completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio. He became an aircraft maintenance expert and instructor and was promoted to airman first class.

In 1960, he was reassigned to Naha Air Base in Okinawa, now a Japanese Self-Defense Force base. During 18 months there, he also served temporary duty at Don Mueang Air Base in Bangkok as hostilities were brewing ahead of the Vietnam War.

He completed his service at Sheppard Air Force Base near Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1962.

After returning to Delhi, he worked as an automotive technician for Delhi Motor Co., performing mechanical repair and restoration work.

It was there that he met Sandra Smith, a child welfare worker with the Delaware County Department of Social Services. She brought her 1962 Dodge Lancer in for service, and he made sure he was the one to gas it up whenever she returned.

They started dating in summer 1964, got engaged at Fitches Bridge Oct. 10, 1965, and married May 15, 1966. The couple moved to Meridale, N.Y., near Delhi, and had a daughter, Heather, in 1968.

In April 1967, Stevenson began working at the Delhi Post Office as a distribution clerk. In 1974, during a downsizing, he was offered a choice: Work fewer hours, transfer to Binghamton, 70 miles away, or become postmaster of the small post office in Harpersfield, 20 miles northeast of Delhi. He took the Harpersfield position, bought the house that operated the post office in its front room and lived in the rest of the house with his family. He served as postmaster for 26 years.

He retired in 2000 after 37 years of federal service, including his Air Force time.

After retirement, he volunteered with his wife at CORE Values Thrift Shop in Stamford, N.Y.

He also volunteered his artistic talents throughout the community, creating and printing materials for local organizations. His work included designing the Harpersfield bicentennial mug in 1987, featuring town founder and Revolutionary War frontiersman Col. John Harper — modeled after actor Tom Selleck.

He was a fire commissioner for the Stamford Fire Department and a member of the Oneonta Radio Control Flyers club, and belonged to the Harpersfield Historical Society, Col. Harper Grange 1508, and the Stamford United Methodist Church. He was widely known for his ability to repair and restore machinery, from dollhouse trinkets to tractors, and for building and flying model aircraft, a hobby he’d loved since childhood.

In later years, he regularly participated in tai chi classes offered by the Delaware County Office for the Aging, Movies With Spirit screenings in Ulster County and was active at Saint James Church, Lake Delaware.

He is survived by his daughter: Heather Greene (Joe) of East Meredith, N.Y.; cousin: James Bathie (Donna); sisters-in-law: Leola Gould and Laurel Maslyn; nieces: Terri Shaffer (David Jansen) and Kelly Shaffer; and nephews: Brian Shaffer (Diane), Jacob Maslyn (Jeanette), Luke Maslyn (Emily), Judd Maslyn (Jennifer) and Isaac Maslyn (Kristen).

He also had many people he considered family, including Sharon Wagner (Matt Healy), Renee and Dana McCall, and Paul and Jessica Moore, as well as Hoinu Bunce (David), Adeline Quay (Brian) and Darleen Croucher (Ray).

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sandra; his parents; his brother, Donald; his sister, Meredith; and his best friend, Richard Halterman.

Calling hours will be at MacArthur Funeral Home, 15 Buntline Drive, Stamford, from 4 to 7 p.m. Jan. 2. 2026. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saint James Church, Lake Delaware, 55 Lake Delaware Drive, Delhi, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 with a meal to follow in the parish hall. Interment will be at Harpersfield Rural Cemetery in the summer.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alice F. McConnell Endowed Scholarship Fund at Alice Lloyd College in memory of David L. Stevenson. Mail contributions to Alice Lloyd College, Attention: Institutional Advancement, 100 Purpose Road, Pippa Passes, KY 41844.

Please visit www.macarthurfh.com to share a condolence.