Stephen Garry Dye

Life began August 18th, 1971, for Stephen Garry Dye, at 4:44am, in Hastings NE. His parents, Garry and Linda Prescott Dye, were delighted with their 7lb 11 1/2oz baby boy. A beautiful baby with lots of golden blonde hair, enough for a curl on top. Stephen attended schools in Omaha, NE, Broken Bow, NE, and graduated from Northglenn High School, Northglenn, CO. His younger years were filled with baseball, his Sting Ray Schwinn Bike, and art classes. He excelled at wood burning, and painting his wood burning items. While in Jr. High School, he participated in concert band and jazz band, playing the trumpet. In highschool, he played his silver trumpet in concert band, jazz band, and marching band. During those years, Stephen was very active in the youth group at Westminster Church of the Nazarene (WCON).

Summers during high school and college were spent in the hot sun laying down large commercial concrete areas with his father, Grandpa Dye, his uncles, Larry and Terry, cousins, Mark and Chris, brother Michael Dye and friends Russ Faillici and Dave Besko. It was very hard work, but he had fond memories of those times. Stephen started his college years at Point Loma Nazarene University and graduated from Mid America Nazarene University. While at Mid America, Stephen wrote a thought-provoking and controversial column for the student newspaper.

After graduation, Stephen started teaching 6th grade and later middle school science in the Olathe Public Schools. His science lab was a hit with students as he had a room full of cages with snakes, lizards, insects, etc. During his second year of teaching, he was awarded Teacher of the Year. While teaching, he completed a masters in Education Technology from Lesley University and so simultaneously started an online car magazine called The Common Driver.

In his early thirties, Stephen married Lisa Pickett, his friend from high school on July 25, 2003. Friends and family were not surprised that they finally wed because the two had shared crushes on each other since they were 16 years old, but one or the other was always attached romantically to someone else. They wed at the Westminster Church of the Nazarene and the reception was held at the Arabian Horse center in Westminster, CO. They both held teaching jobs in Olathe, KS and they both earned an M.B.A. from Baker University. Their first born, Brennan Garry-Irvin Dye was born in the Olathe Medical Center in 2009. Shortly after, Stephen, Lisa, and Brennan made the move home to Colorado, but Olathe, KS was always a place they loved and had fond memories of as they had many wonderful friendships there.

Though both were busy teaching in DPS, Michael Stephen-Eugene was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, CO in 2010. Grandparents on both sides provided loving care for the beautiful little boys while mom and dad were working.

Stephen joined his father in entrepreneurial businesses- and life became increasingly busy. Stephen was a car fan and rightfully so: his father lived and breathed cars. Stephen had a talent for finding used cars for family and friends on the internet. He would search all over the country to find used cars in excellent shape. His last find was for his family- a very rare, like new Buick LaCrosse with a Corvette engine. The family’s last trip together would be flying to Indianapolis, and driving the car home. It was a great trip, and they got to see some of their family and friends in Kansas City.

In spite of Stephen’s alcohol addiction and borderline personality disorder, he knew Jesus and often spoke of God's Amazing Grace. One of his favorite books was the Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Stephen often referred to himself as a “Ragamuffin, saved by Grace.” One of Stephen’s last quotes on Facebook was perfectly said, “none of us has earned it or deserves it, yet God freely offers us conditional love, forgiveness, and Amazing Grace.” There were numerous hospitalizations, even some on a respirator, near death. There were numerous treatment facilities- so many that counselors would say, “Stephen, you know this well enough to teach it!”

As a family, we are united in our belief, Stephen is free of alcohol and addiction and is in the presence of Jesus. Stephen loved his boys and his wife, Lisa. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Lisa, sons Brennan and Michael, his mother and step-father, Linda and Scott Halstead, sister and husband Melinda and Dennis Punt, brother and wife, Michael and Laura Dye, sister and husband, Rachelle and John Crouch, Lisa’s parents, Irvin and Nancy Pickett, sister-in-law and husband, Amy and Greg Jones, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a host of other relatives and friends. He is predeceased by his father, Garry L. Dye, his paternal and maternal grandparents, Eugene and Merry Lynn Dye and Cledis and Mary Alice Prescott, uncles, David Prescott, Terry Dye and close cousin Mark Dye. To God be the glory. Though he will be missed, Stephen G. Dye is at peace at last.