Steven Jay Elster

1950 - 2022

Steven Jay Elster June 24, 1950 - August 14, 2022 Steven Jay Elster died on August 14, 2022, at the age of 72, leaving this earth for his eternity in Heaven.

Steve was born on June 24, 1950, in Bend, Oregon, because his hometown of Redmond, Oregon was too small to have a hospital. He was the youngest child of Ralph and Fern Elster. Steve grew up in Redmond, and then attended Puget Sound College of the Bible in Seattle, where he met his wife of 53 years, Julia Rush. They lived in Seattle, Shoreline, and Mukilteo before moving to Cle Elum in 2015.

Steve worked in various construction trades during his career: building log homes, painting and remodeling houses, becoming a journeyman glazier, and flipping houses. He owned Edmonds Glass from 1976 to 1994. One friend bragged to others that Steve could "fix anything" (not quite true, but close!). Another said that if he had trouble fixing something, he could call Steve and in 15 minutes, Steve would give him three ways that might work. He was an incessant reader and learner, always looking to learn things that might be useful. He called it "worthless trivia," but more than one person has recently said, "I could ask him anything. Who am I going to call now?"

Steve was gifted musically, with a beautiful voice that could be heard on Sunday mornings - he called it "an accident of birth," and was a talented sculptor in soapstone, marble, and granite. He was a great storyteller, with a quirky sense of humor. We will miss that voice, the stories he told, and the way he told them.

More importantly, Steve was gifted at connecting with people and sharing his faith. He not only shared his faith, but he helped others learn how to share their faith. Sometimes it was with kids at camp, where he taught whittling; sometimes it was with waitresses in restaurants where he ate breakfast when Julia was on out-of-town assignments; sometimes it was with customers when he was out doing windows. We will not know this side of Heaven how many people's lives he touched in that special way.

Steve is survived by his wife, Julia, their two children, Gretchen (Greg) Palmer, of Shoreline, WA and Erik (Christie Yee), of Snohomish, WA, and their grandson, Logan, and an "adopted" Goddaughter, Marianne Harvey. He is also survived by his siblings, Clark Elster, Karen Meyer, Petra Williams, and Pete Elster, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

We are gathering to celebrate Steve's life on Saturday, September 10, at 3 pm, at the Cle Elum Alliance Church. In lieu of flowers we encourage you to contribute to your church, to a missionary, to a Christian camping program, like Camp Koinonia or Cascade Camp Cedarbrook, to St. Jude's, or Samaritan's Purse.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.brooksidefuneral.com. Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family.