Stephen "Steve" Gregory Elkins

Steve was born on June 25, 1946, in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of James Howard Elkins and Martha Gregory Elkins. He grew up in Benton, Kentucky, and later Oxford, Mississippi, where he cultivated his lifelong passions for fly fishing, woodworking, and photography. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1964 and from the University of Mississippi in 1968, where he majored in journalism, philosophy, and English. From 1968 to 1971, during the Vietnam War, Steve served in Army military intelligence at Fort Holabird in Baltimore. Some of his deepest, lifelong friendships began in the Army.

After his military service, Steve went on to Washington and Lee University School of Law, graduating in 1974, and later earned an LL.M. in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. A devoted alumnus and longtime fundraiser for W&L, he was especially proud that both of his children followed him there.

Steve began his career in corporate tax at Gulf Oil and the Cigna Corporation. He later worked as a lobbyist in Washington, DC, most notably for the American Chemistry Council.

In 1978, Steve married Regina Elizabeth “Beth” Jones of Baltimore, Maryland, beginning a devoted partnership of 48 years. Together they raised two children, Meredith and Greg, and made homes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Newtown, Connecticut; Wayne, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and, most recently, East Sandwich, Massachusetts. A skilled woodworker, Steve left his mark on every home they shared. He had a gift for transforming ordinary houses with the touches of fine old homes, and he built antique reproduction furniture to fill them. Those pieces, now family heirlooms, and the homes he elevated remain a testament to his artistry.

Steve was a man of wide-ranging curiosity and intellect. His home was filled with books, and he would deep-dive into whatever caught his interest: shipbuilding, railroads, American history, architecture, and Kentucky bourbon, a subject he studied with particular devotion. His love of history was personal; a proud descendant of Revolutionary War veterans, Steve was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, carrying on a family tradition from his mother, a Daughter of the American Revolution.

Though he left the South in his twenties, he remained a Southerner at heart, and he kept his “Jimmy Stewart” drawl all his life. His wry humor shone in his annual Christmas letters, which were sardonic, beautifully written, and happily anticipated by friends and family. He was a wonderful cook and a generous host, and he found pure joy in a solitary day of fly fishing for rainbow trout on a Vermont mountain stream.

Above all, Steve loved his family. He and Beth were intentional about creating a happy home, and he was an engaged and loving father. He took special delight in children, building his own kids a Victorian playhouse, a treehouse with a trapdoor and a zipline, doll furniture, and a train set. He adored his grandchildren, who knew him affectionately as “Pappy.”

Steve is survived by his beloved wife, Beth; his daughter, Meredith Elkins, and her husband, Jesse Paone, of Cohasset, Massachusetts; his son, Greg Elkins, and his wife, Blair Golden, of Madison, Wisconsin; three grandchildren, Griffin, Hathaway, and Beatrice; and his sister, Laura Lou Elkins of Greenport, New York, and her family.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 159 Main Street, Sandwich, Massachusetts, with a reception to follow at the Dan’l Webster Inn.

Arrangements are by Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to:

Washington and Lee University, Law W&L Fund: Give online at www.wlu.edu/give. Designate your gift to the Law W&L Fund, and note that it is in memory of Stephen G. Elkins.

The Sons of the American Revolution Foundation: To give online, visit www.sarfoundation.org and click “Donate.” Check “I would like to dedicate this donation,” select “In Memory Of,” and enter “Stephen G. Elkins.”