James Kevin Stinson-Johnson, 61, died peacefully in his Provincetown home on May 11, 2020, after struggling with multiple system atrophy.
Kevin’s smile and easygoing nature charmed one and all. He was a gentleman, extremely thoughtful and kind, and never wanted acknowledgment or the spotlight. He loved plants and animals. He was a natural gardener.
He enjoyed being a server at Bubala’s, the Post Office Cafe, 11 Carver Street, and Bayside Betsy’s before becoming a full-time landscape gardener in 2012. After 30 years working in restaurants, he jokingly liked to say, “Plants don’t ask questions.”
Kevin moved with his husband, Tony Johnson, to Provincetown year-round in 1993, where he found magic and spirituality in abundance. Kevin embraced what he termed the “island of misfit toys,” and the community loved him for it.
In August 2017, he and his husband sued the town of Provincetown for slander and negligence after the police arrested him in November 2013 for setting six of the 20 fires that terrified the town from 2007 to 2008. The case was settled, with the town paying them $80,000.
The case against Kevin collapsed because five of the arson counts were lodged after the six-year statute of limitations had expired. A judge later dropped the final count due to lack of probable cause.
Besides his husband, Kevin is survived by his sisters, Kim Rubel, Kate Raiford, and Kathy Wenzel and her husband, Mark; and by a brother, Kerry Stinson, and his wife, Kris; as well as nephews and nieces Luke Stinson, Brianna Rubel, Sarah Wenzel, Kyle Rubel, Meghan McLeish, Ryan and Taylor Hedgecock, Jamison Stinson, and Sam and Jack Raiford, and new grandniece Charlotte Rubel. His parents, Bob and Dot Stinson, brother Kenn Stinson, and brother-in-law Barry Rubel predeceased him.
Due to the current health crisis and resulting government restrictions, a celebration of Kevin’s life will be held at a time and date to be announced.
Memorial donations in Kevin’s name may be made to the Carrie A. Seamen Animal Shelter (CASAS), 5 Sandy Hill Lane, Provincetown 02657.
To share a memory or leave an online condolence, visit gatelyfuneralservice.com.
