Steven Paul Loch, 60, a resident of Greensboro, formerly of Montclair, New Jersey and Pasadena, California, died unexpectedly on January 15, 2025. Born on December 9, 1964 in Sacramento, California, he was the eldest son of Frank Jack Loch and Sandra Loch Howell. His father preceded him in death.
Steven graduated magna cum laude from California Lutheran University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Business in 1987. Employed by a large brokerage firm that sent him to New York for training, he quickly realized that cold calling potential clients to find “quick hits” was not in his nature. In 1989, he chose a different path, beginning a long and distinguished career in pharmaceuticals.
From an early age, Steven loved animals—his dog, Major, and his sweet-natured horse, Tony the Pony. Steven couldn’t wait to get home from elementary school so he could ride Tony into the house through the sliding glass doors and lie contentedly on Tony’s back while they both watched reruns of “Mister Ed”.
Horsemanship was a lifelong passion. During college, he trained horses and taught western style riding. He loved classic country music— Dolly, George and Tammy, Patsy, Loretta—and he especially loved country-western dancing. Friday nights in Los Angeles were spent two-stepping at Oil Can Harry’s, where the first few bars of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” would turn him into a cowboy Fred Astaire.
In 1988 he met the love of his life at a Marianne Williamson lecture on “A Course in Miracles”. Fred Johnson was writing for “The Young and the Restless”, a popular daytime soap opera Steven had never seen. When an opportunity arose for Fred to join the writing team of “All My Children”, Steven didn’t hesitate to put his career on hold and move cross-country to suburban New York.
Soul-mates for 37 years, Steven and Fred shared a life filled with cherished cats, laughter and love, culminating in their joyously legal marriage in Ithaca, New York in 2013. Asked to describe the essence of their relationship, Steven would say it was the quiet moments watching a sunset together or sitting in front of a fire. Sharing and caring.
Steven was the brightest of lights, a beacon of kindness and generosity. After moving to Greensboro in 2011, he joined St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, where he was a Lay Eucharistic Minister as well as serving on the vestry, quickly becoming known and dearly loved for his big smile, big laugh and even bigger heart.
In the words of Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” No one who knew Steven will ever forget how he made them feel.
Surviving is his beloved husband Fred Johnson of Greensboro; his mother Sandra Loch Howell and her husband Les Howell of Lancaster, PA; his brother and sister-in-law, Kenn and Peggy Loch of Katy, TX; his aunt and uncle Darlene and Ed Russell of Lancaster, PA; his aunt Brendalee Christman of Lancaster, PA; his dear friends and chosen family Gretchen Kubacky, Debbie Eastman, Shelley and Tony Bullock, Frank Smith and Reade Taylor, Shane Burton and James Bumgardner, Susan and Ted Oliver, Arlene Gutterman and Kate Panzer.
Services will be held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2105 W Market St., Greensboro, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 11 a.m.
The service will be live streamed at www.youtube.com/@st.andrewsepiscopalchurch-1309. A reception will follow at the church.
Memorial gifts may be made to The Lange Foundation, 2106 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025; The Trevor Project, PO Box 69232, West Hollywood, CA 90069; and Project Open Hand, 730 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109.
Online condolences may be offered at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com.
