Alice Jane (Stevenson) Lanier

Alice Jane Lanier, 89, of Columbia, Missouri passed away on March 19, 2026, after a brief illness.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Broadway Christian Church. Visitation will precede the service at 1:00pm, and interment of ashes will follow at the Broadway Christian Church Memorial Garden.

Alice Jane was born February 8, 1937, in Carbondale, Illinois to Clarence and Evelyn (Piper) Stevenson.  As a Freshman at the University of Illinois in 1956, she and Don met on a blind date. They were soon inseparable and were married the next year in Centralia, Illinois. Last July they celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary.

AJ was a gifted musician, attending the University of Illinois on a music scholarship. She was trained as a classical pianist and had a beautiful soprano voice, able to fill a room with music that lingered long after the final note. Her father insisted that she finish her degree before marrying, but he acquiesced on the condition that she would continue her studies and graduate. It would take 20-year-old AJ another 20 years to fulfill that promise, allowing time to start a family with Don. The family moved to Columbia in 1971 when Don became the Senior Minister at Broadway Christian Church. AJ worked to support Don and help build the church, all while raising 3 boys and taking classes at MU where she completed her degree at age 40.

AJ was the heart of her home, believing many of life’s most memorable moments happened around the piano or kitchen table. She was known for her intelligence, grace, charm, and generous spirit, as well as for her roles as a supportive minister’s wife, devoted mother, and loving grandmother. In her final days she met her great-grandson, a moment that brought her immense happiness and peace. She found joy in music, teaching, gardening, cooking, traveling, reading an engaging mystery, and finding a good bargain – but above all, in the people she loved and in her steadfast Christian faith.

She is survived by her husband, Don; sons, Mark, Steve (Roxie), and Tim (Gayle); grandchildren, Audrey (Sebastian), Lance, Aly, Jake, Nick, and a great grandson, William Misael; and brother Jim Stevenson. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister Nancy Harrod.

Memorial contributions are suggested to The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri https://sharefoodbringhope.org/.

Online condolences and tributes may be shared with the family at www.bachyager.com.

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