July 30th, 1949 – February 15th, 2024
Steven Lee DeHaven, 74, Shawnee, died Feb. 15, 2024, in Olathe, Kansas, surrounded by his family.
A lifelong Kansan, Steve was born on July 30, 1949, in Kansas City, Kansas, to Paul and Naoma Laverne DeHaven. He had many fond memories of his early years spent in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood before the family moved to Hays, Kansas, where he spent most of his grade and middle school years. Steve returned to the Kansas City area with his family while in high school, and he graduated from Washington High School in 1967. He then continued his education at Washburn University in Topeka, where he studied history.
On July 20, 1969, the night of the first moon landing, Steve went on a date with Elizabeth Pickman that was arranged by his mother and her neighbor, who was Elizabeth’s sister. Although Elizabeth recalls not being very impressed with Steve at first, he persisted and they were married just over a year later on Sept. 19, 1970, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Atchison, Kansas. They spent their first married years in Topeka, where their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1972.
Soon after, they returned to Kansas City, where Steve began his career with Southwestern Bell. A second daughter, Valerie, was born there in 1973. Steve’s career took them back to Topeka in 1975, and their son, Steven II, joined the family in 1982.
Steve was proud of his career at Bell, where he worked in engineering and made many friendships that lasted until the end of his life. He retired from Southwestern Bell in 2001, and he and Elizabeth relocated the next year to Leavenworth, Kansas, where they lived until late 2023 before moving to Shawnee.
Steve was a sports fan and even during their dark years rooted for his favorite teams, the Kansas Jayhawks (he was proud that all three of his children were graduates of the university), the Kansas City Royals and, most notably, the Kansas City Chiefs. He was thrilled when each of his teams claimed championships, and in his final days greeted many with “How ‘bout them Chiefs” following the team’s most recent Super Bowl victory.
In addition to sports, Steve also was passionate about politics, as many of his Facebook friends were aware. He was a longtime Democrat who volunteered for various local and presidential campaigns and enjoyed civil discourse with many about political issues.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, Shawnee; daughter Jessica (Greg) Kozol, St. Joseph; daughter Valerie (Eric) Fiolkoski, Arvada, Colorado; son Steven II (Nikki) DeHaven, Shawnee; grandchildren Katarina Fiolkoski, Arvada, Ian Fiolkoski, Shawnee, Sophie Kozol, St. Joseph, and Winter, Xavier and Vander DeHaven, Shawnee; sister Brenda (Mike) Lake, Tallahassee, Florida; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Steve has been cremated. The family plans to hold a celebration of his life in the coming months.
Obituary published by Cremation Center of Kansas City.
