Stephen Roger Shell

Seattle. He had undergone brain surgery for cancer on August 11, from which he never

regained full consciousness. Steve was born December 7, 1951 in Jos, Nigeria, Africa, the

youngest son of missionary parents Robert and Madge Shell. His childhood, along with his two

older brothers Don and Paul, was spent in Africa on missionary compounds and at a boarding

school during the school year. The family moved back to Chico, California when Steve was

eleven years old, which was quite an adjustment. He was very involved in high school

participating in sports and school government. He graduated from Durham High in Chico with

the class of 1969. He attended Butte Community College and then Western Baptist Bible

College in Salem Oregon. It was there that he met the love of his life, Margy Tait of Yakima,

Washington. On the day they met in the lunch-line, Steve made Margy laugh so hard that she

began to choke and throw up her lunch and ran to the nearest bathroom, which happened to

be the men's room. The rest is history. They married February 12, 1972 and he made Margy

laugh every single day for the next 49 years. Steve's humor was a light in so many lives and was

his most endearing quality. Steve and Margy made their home in Yakima and added Deanna in

1975, Adam in 1977, and Jesse in 1980 to complete their family. Steve loved his kids fiercely.

He was completely dedicated to them and never tired of rooting them on in all of their pursuits,

whether baseball, basketball, dance, drill-team, travels, or studies. And who can forget the old

suburban shuttle to White Pass for snowboarding.

Steve enjoyed two careers in his life, first computer programming and then sales and

marketing. He worked for both the City and County of Yakima in computer systems, owned his

own business custom programming for businesses, and then switched to sales and marketing

for Quest International.

He enjoyed living in the Pacific Northwest and would always remark about the clean, crisp air

after getting off the plane in Yakima after his many business trips to most of the other states in

the nation. He loved to hike in his younger years and explored the Alpine Lakes area, hiked the

Wonderland Trail, summited Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, and explored many many other trails.

Steve had a great love for God throughout his life and had a personal relationship with Him. He

showed it through helping, loving, and serving everyone around him. He didn't believe his life

was his own, but that he had been bought with a price, and that he was here to serve and love

others. He always gave his best, and so many times his last, with all his strength, as unto the

Lord. ALL the different groups in his life, whether church, work, or family, experienced his

dedication, creativity, generosity, and of course his special brand of wit.

In retirement, his chosen activity was prayer. He went to his prayer closet every day and was

grateful for the time to spend with the Lord. He prayed for his family, his expanded family, and

for this nation. He passionately believed in America as founded, a constitutional republic, and

believed the way back to that was through prayer and revival. His other favorite pastime was

spending time with his grandson Cody, whom he was a Dad to. He loved being with Cody and

they were best friends. They explored the worlds of target shooting, reloading, restoring trucks,

fishing and general tinkering in the garage. Their daily talks are sorely missed. Steve had a

twinkle in his eye for all his grand kids and loved them with his whole heart. He treasured his

time with them and was so very proud of each of Adam and Kate's three girls, Micah 14, Daisy

10, and Piper 7, and Jesse and Kendra's son Django, 7.

Steve's warm, compassionate, calm, and reassuring presence is sorely and deeply missed by his

family, he brought joy and laughter to our lives each day. But we rejoice that he's with Jesus,

whom he loved so much, and is enjoying his rewards for a life well lived.

Steve is preceded in death by his parents Bob and Madge Shell, his father-in-law Don Tait, and

nephew Brendan Murphy. He is survived by his wife Margy, daughter Deanna and her son Cody,

his son Adam (Kate) and their children Micah, Daisy, and Piper, and his son Jesse (Kendra) and

their son Django, as well as his mother-in-law Peggy Tait, his brothers Don (Nadine) Shell and

Paul (Mickey) Shell, his brothers-in-law Chris (Rhea) Tait, Matthew (Madai) Tait, Ian (Deborah)

Tait, his sisters-in-law Melanie (Michael) Murphy, and Amy (Rocky) Parsley and all their families,

as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Early in their married life Steve and Margy attended a three-month discipleship-training course

in California where they memorized the 12th chapter of Romans, verses that remained central

to Steve's life. Romans 12:1, 2 in the Passion Translation: "Beloved friends, what should be our

proper response to God's marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God

to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart.

For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of

the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total

reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a

beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes."

Services to be determined at a later date, per family requests.