Steven Alan Fortescue

There are some people whose presence becomes such an important part of our lives that it is difficult to imagine the world without them. Steve was one of those people.

He was a loving husband, father, brother, and friend. He was the kind of person you could count on: the one who would answer the phone, lend a hand, tell a good story, or make you laugh with his quick wit.

Steve was born on August 23, 1956 in Kirkland, WA, where he grew up alongside his sisters Karen and Rose and his brother Kenny. His mother, June, imparted on him a life-long love of gardening within her spacious patch of dahlias. In high school, Steve ran track well enough to receive a scholarship to Everett Community College. He later went on to obtain a Masters of Business Administration from City University.

Steve’s career started with managing the Seattle office of Junior Achievement, which forever changed the course of his life. He then went on to AT&T where he was the National Account Manager for Westin Hotels. While at AT&T, Steve met his wife, Meg, and they married on August 17, 1991. Steve changed careers and became a financial planner, managing his own business for 22 years. The best part of the job for Steve was talking with his clients, helping them accomplish their goals and, in many cases, turning their financial lives around. Steve’s clients trusted and appreciated him greatly.

Steve and Meg had two wonderful boys, Jon and Alex. The family went to Lake Chelan four times a year for their whole childhood. There, the boys learned how to ride their bikes, paint ceramics, and build a roaring fire. Their fondest memories of those vacations, though, are the bedtime stories that Steve would improvise for them night after night. They were very elaborate and Jon and Alex remember them to this day.

Steve had a great love for science and history, traveling the world, playing games (everything from classic card games to Animal Crossing), music, his daily walks where he would visit with all the neighbors, and cheering for his sports teams (whether the Mariners, the Seahawks, or his boys’ baseball teams he coached throughout their childhoods). What he enjoyed most, however, was sharing one of Meg’s delicious home-cooked meals with family and friends.

He will be remembered for his brilliant mind, his willingness to help people out, his wonderful sense of humor, his integrity and the way he made people feel welcome and included wherever he went.

He is survived by his wife Meg, his children Jon and Alex (Rebeca Andrade), his sister and brother-in-law Rose and Rick Harig, his brother and sister-in-law Ken and Debbie Fortescue, his brother-in-law Jim Wilkerson and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his mother and father, June Cook and Kenneth Fortescue and his sister, Karen Wilkerson.

Although his passing was sudden and has left an enormous emptiness in the lives of those who loved him, he will be forever in our hearts. We are grateful for every year, every memory, every laugh, and every moment we were blessed to share with him.