Steven Mourning

Steven Lewis Mourning

63, of Little Rock died unexpectedly on July 20, 2010 while returning from a business trip to San Diego, California.

He was born at St. Vincent's Infirmary on June 2, 1947 in Little Rock to the late Burwelle Anderson and Sibyl Bush Mourning.

He is survived by his wife, Anne Taylor Mourning, and his daughters, Lauri Ann Mourning Scott (Dave) of Aurora, Colorado, and Alicia Lynn Mourning of Denver, Colorado; grandsons, Owen and Andrew Scott of Aurora; his brother Lloyd Randall Mourning and sister Suzanne Mourning Carr (Perry), both of Little Rock.

He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts and received a jurist doctorate degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and a lifetime member of the UALR Alumni Association.

Steve relocated to Colorado in 1978 where he served as president of the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation in Denver. He moved to Saratoga, California, in 1987 to become the Vice President for Development at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Palo Alto, California. He later became a partner with the consulting firm of Jerold Panas, Linzy &Partners of Chicago. His development expertise, fundraising success and commitment to healthcare philanthropy and mentoring hundreds of colleagues led him to receive the Harold J. "Si" Seymour Award, the highest commendation given in the healthcare industry. He was a Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. He was a past board member and Treasurer of the Association.

Steve served on the faculty of the AHP Madison Institute, a program he helped found 32 years ago at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He co-founded Madison Down Under in Australia and was a continuous international guest presenter.

Steve had recently returned to Arkansas after his marriage to his wife, Anne, whom he first met at Mabelvale High School more than 40 years ago. She found him listed on classmates.com and remembered they shared a similar career in the field of development, having last seen him at an AHP conference in 1987. She wrote him an e-mail message and he responded.

He soon traveled to Arkansas to renew their high school friendship. Their teenage bond provided great love and comfort, and they married August 29, 2009, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Steve served on the Board of Directors of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation the Board of the SETI Institute and the AHP Foundation. His interests were wide-ranging, from being a soccer coach when his daughters were growing up in Denver to later becoming an avid fan of the San Jose Sharks. He was a connoisseur of red wines, particularly those of South Australia's Barossa Valley where he spent time each year. He loved to travel and he and Anne greatly enjoyed their time together in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where he proposed marriage February 14, 2009.

Steve's brilliance, humor and generous friendship will be missed by countless lives he touched. His twin daughters will miss him dearly and credit him for his love and guidance in their lives. His spirit, kindness, and intelligence touched all of us and we will cherish him with all our hearts.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 26, 2010, followed by interment of ashes in the church garden. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Foundation, 2801 S. University Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72207 or the Mourning Madison Institute Endowment Fund at the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy Foundation, 313 Park Avenue, Suite 400, Falls Church, Virginia 22046.

On line guestbook may be signed at www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.