Stephen Jay Waller

Stephen Jay Waller, 76, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, died on April 23, 2025 from complications following surgery. Steve was born in Salinas, California on September 8, 1948. He attended preparatory school at the Orme School in Mayer, Arizona. While there, Steve competed at local rodeos, riding broncs and roping bulls. After graduating from Orme, Steve received a B.S. degree from Arizona State University. He was awarded a J.D. degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1977, and an LLM in taxation from Georgetown Law Center in 1980. The following year, Steve began his career with the Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel as a trial attorney in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1989, Steve was promoted to Area Counsel, Criminal Tax Division, based in Atlanta, Georgia. He retired in 2010 after almost 30 years of federal service. Steve was a caring, considerate and kind person. If someone needed help, he was always there for them. When his former wife Patricia ("Trish") became ill with an aggressive form of breast cancer, Steve made many trips up to New Haven so that he could be there for her during her surgery and cancer treatment. Steve enjoyed traveling, dancing, theater, Jimmy Buffet concerts, hiking, skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, international horse treks, practical pistol matches and, above all, spending time with family and friends. Steve's happiest memories were of the years spent with Trish. Throughout his life, Steve spent many hours reminiscing with Trish about the travel adventures they shared together. They laughed about their horse trek by the Sea of Galilee where Steve and Trish galloped their horses together and where the army practiced daily maneuvers outside the window of their cottage. They revisited the arduous horse trek where they rode every day for six hours at a quick trot through the Kalahari Desert and slept in tents at night. After retirement, Steve fostered many old dogs in his home to give them a quality of life and a feeling of being loved in their final years. One of the dogs was a female pitbull named Lolly who was dying of cancer. Since she had to be separated from the other two aged dogs being fostered by Steve, she lived in the lower level of Steve's house. Steve spent several hours a day playing with her so that she wouldn't be lonely. Steve's greatest passion was his dogs. Steve was predeceased by his parents Clarence and Sylvia Waller (Myers). He is survived by his former wife and close friend of 40 years, Patricia Beary, and his beloved dogs, Esther and Loki. He will be forever missed. Donations in Stephen Jay Waller's memory may be made to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta at www.grra.com.