Stephenson loved community

Lynn Stephenson saw Bleachery project as a way to distinguish Rock Hill.

At 43, Lynn Stephenson had accomplished much in her life, and she was poised to accomplish much more when she died unexpectedly Monday afternoon.

Stephenson, ambitious, energetic scrappy, deeply committed her hometown, had sought to transform the dilapidated remains of the Rock Hill Printing & Finishing Co. — the Bleachery — into a site for shops, restaurants, housing and entertainment. In 2003, she and her partners bought the 1.2-million-square-foot property for $600,000 at a foreclosure auction and, for the next six years, sought to turn it into the centerpiece of the city's “Textile Corridor.”

That vision has yet to be fulfilled, and it is sad to think that Stephenson won't be there to see the project completed. As one friend noted, however, she had succeeded at breaking the glass ceiling in the local development world and, in the process, had become a prominent figure in the community.

In the male-dominated construction field, Stephenson could boast a number of significant projects, including the University Place apartment complex near Winthrop University, Windsong Estates, Village Green, Hawkins Ridge, Ebenezer Village, Wellsbrook and Mallard Creek, all residential projects. Most recently, she was building an apartment complex of S.C. 160 in Fort Mill.

But Stephenson's work never took precedence over family. She was devoted to her husband, Will, daughter, Taylor, and son, Wil.

She regularly attended her children's games and school events, and was an avid supporter of the Northwestern High School Trojans and past president of the school's athletic booster club. A few years ago, when her son's all-star baseball team needed a place to take batting practice in bad weather, she installed a batting cage in one of the buildings at the Bleachery.

Stephenson's roots are in Rock Hill, the place where she lived and went to school as a girl and where she and her family chose to call home. She no doubt viewed her work as one way of giving back to the community she loved.

That certainly was the case with her goal of redeveloping the Bleachery. She had hoped the old mill and the Textile Corridor could serve as both part of the city's renaissance and a recognition of its past.

We wish she could have seen that dream become a reality. We join family and friends throughout the community in mourning her untimely passing.