Pete L. Stephens, M.D.

Pete L. Stephens, M.D. of Bluffton, SC was embraced in God’s loving arms on September 10, 2016. The son of Angella and Emmanuel Stephens, Pete was born in 1937 and raised in Weirton, West Virginia. He is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Anita Klimanskis Stephens, and two daughters Helene Stephens (Warren Barrett) and Lara Stephens Harpe (Jonathan Harpe) of Charleston, SC. A graduate of Bethany College and the Medical College of Virginia, Pete’s professional medical career spanned over five decades as a healer and helper of others. An army veteran, he served our country as a physician stationed at U.S. Army Hospital bases in Thule, Greenland and Valley Forge, PA, followed by a 33 year career as an emergency room physician at Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury, NJ. After retiring from emergency medicine in 1999 to live on Hilton Head Island, SC, Pete continued to share his medical skills as a physician at the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic until his health no longer permitted. Pete’s greatest professional reward and joy as a doctor came during the last chapter of his life while founding and working at Hyperbaric Therapy of the Lowcountry. Devoted to his patients and their families, Pete cherished the opportunities and privilege of spending time and the slower pace, allowing him to get to know each patient personally and establishing lasting friendships along the way. An avid golfer and history enthusiast, Pete most importantly loved God, his family and his friends. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, September 17, 2016 at Lowcountry Presbyterian Church, 10 Simmonsville Rd, Bluffton SC. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, 15 Northridge Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 or online at www.vimclinic.org.