September 4, 1944 — May 11, 2020

Thyra Kay Stevenson was born in 1944 in Palo Alto, CA, to Gladys and Lloyd Stevenson. When she was 13 years old, her father moved the family to Lewiston, ID.

Together with her sisters, Gail and Seja, Thyra grew up an outdoor enthusiast. The three girls grew up in a house their father built in Los Altos Hills, CA. They loved horses, learned how to shoot as youngsters, climbed trees and were both avid campers and lifelong Girl Scouts.

Thyra graduated valedictorian from Lewiston High School in 1962. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Boston University. She earned a certificate in Spanish from the University of Madrid as part of her Master of Arts program at New York University. She also earned a Ph.D. in Latin American literature from the University of Washington.

Thyra was an optimist and never missed an opportunity to pursue a new and exciting path. After her university studies, she moved to California to join her parents who had returned to the Golden State. She taught both high school and college Spanish for more than a decade. She left teaching to join Amdahl Corp. in Santa Clara in a corporate communications role. It was at Amdahl that she met her husband of nearly 40 years, Walter Greenham. They bought Los Gatos Cyclery and became an active and beloved part of the Bay Area biking community.

After returning to Lewiston, ID, in 2012, Thyra was elected to her first term for the Idaho House of Representatives, District 6 where she served three terms. She was in a heated race for her fourth term when, on May 4, she suffered a severe heart attack. She never recovered and succomed on May 11, 2020.

Thyra’s immediate family will celebrate her life with a private memorial.

More information on the life of Thyra Kay Stevenson can be found obituary and article.

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