Rev. Dr. Stephen E. Ross
19 January 1951 – 29 April 2025
Rev. Dr. Stephen E. Ross passed away at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, with his partner and spouse of nearly 54 years, Beverly, at his side. Steve had battled several chronic illnesses for many decades; in the end, his heart simply gave out. He was 74 years old.
The second son of Edgar and Florence Ross (a professor of music and a lifelong lover of books), Steve always valued education and pursued learning throughout his life. A 1969 graduate of Mount Pleasant (Michigan) High School, he went on to receive a Bachelor of Individualized Studies from Central Michigan University in 1974. It was at CMU that he met and married Beverly, charming her with his wit and hilarity. He earned his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from the University of Dubuque (Iowa) Theological Seminary in 1977. One of his proudest educational accomplishments was completion of his Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, in 1989.
Steve spent his career as a pastor for the Presbyterian Church (USA), serving first as a student pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster (Wisconsin; 1975-1977); then as full pastor at the First United Presbyterian Church of Tuscola (Illinois; 1977-1983), Charles Street Presbyterian Church in Rockford (Illinois; 1983-1985), the First Presbyterian Church of LeClaire (Iowa; 1985-1994), Lower Valley Presbyterian Church in Califon (New Jersey; 1994-2000), and Bloomsbury Presbyterian Church (New Jersey; 2001-2009) before taking an early retirement due to disability. Throughout this time, he also provided occasional pulpit supply for other local churches and served as a chaplain for local hospitals.
In 2010, Steve and Bev relocated to Federal Way to enjoy their retirement in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. They became active members of the Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church (Des Moines, Washington). Throughout his adulthood, Steve found strong community as a Mason, belonging to Snow Lodge #44 (LeClaire, Iowa) and Phillipsburg (New Jersey) Lodge #52 before retiring to Washington. Once in Washington, Steve became involved with the Thornton F. McElroy Masonic Lodge #302 (Federal Way). A crowning achievement in the later part of his life was serving as Worshipful Master of this lodge in 2017. Steve and Bev moved to the West Seattle neighborhood in 2023.
Steve was a gifted musician, poet, orator, and teacher, and he regularly utilized these skills in his sermons and services. With his musical partner Bob Jensen, Steve wrote and performed a number of original songs that reflected the progressive values of the reformed Christian protestant tradition.
Despite devoting his life to the church, Steve struggled deeply with his calling to be a minister. His progressive social values and his belief that faith should be constantly questioned, challenged, and worked on rather than blindly followed often created tension in the church communities he served. Even so, he remained a dedicated servant of the Presbyterian Church, even when it occasionally broke his heart.
Steve was active in outdoor ministry and spent many years donating time and energy to Presbyterian camps. He had an early love of nature and traveling, fostered through time in the Boy Scouts of America and through family vacations. Annual camping and RV trips across the United States while his daughters were growing up are the basis of many formative family memories, and he continued to travel internationally and domestically in his retirement.
No matter what else was happening in his world or in his health, Steve was always an extremely proud dad and devoted family man, gleefully attending every performance, celebration, game, play, or other important event in his daughters’ lives and later in his grandchildren’s lives. He delighted in the successes of his family and was a familiar fixture in both of his daughters’ communities right up until the end of his life.
Steve was known among family and friends, colleagues and congregants, for his wisdom, inquisitiveness, and humor, and his creative and fascinating mind will be missed.
Steve is survived by his wife, Beverly (Thornton) Ross of Seattle; his daughters, Deanna (known as “D”) Ohlandt (Chad Ohlandt), of Alexandria, Virginia, and Angela Ross (Jeff Loidhamer) of Seattle; as well as his grandchildren, Callen, Zachariah, and Gillian Ohlandt, and Arli Loidhamer. He is also survived by his brothers, David Ross of El Paso, Texas, and Philip Ross of Flint, Michigan, and several nieces and nephews and their children.
Celebrations of life will be scheduled for the coming months with an effort to make participation easy for those who loved him.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in his name to the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad (through the nonprofit Western Forest Industries Museum) or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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