Stevan J. VanWestenburg

Stevan J. VanWestenburg, age 71, passed away unexpectedly May 24, 2025. He was born December 8, 1953 in Hancock, Michigan to John A. and Joyce E. (Timmer) VanWestenburg. Steve is survived by his wife, Liz; his father John; three sisters, Laura (Pete Simmons) Palmer, Glenna (Tom) Sprague and Claire (Steve) Murchie, and his nephew Dale (Heather) Sprague. He was predeceased by his mother, Joyce, his grandparents and his aunt.
After growing up in Houghton, in the Upper Peninsula, the family moved to Midland, Michigan. There Steve met Liz during their junior year of high school. He claimed it was love at first sight. After graduating from H.H. Dow High School in Midland in 1971, he earned his degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He and Liz were married in August of 1974. After living in Ann Arbor for six years, they moved to Canton, Michigan. They made their home there until 2010 but spent summers up north.
Steve spent most of his working years as a science teacher in Livonia Public Schools, teaching primarily Chemistry and Biology. He taught at Franklin High School, Church-ill High School and then moved to Stevenson High School. He finished his career at Churchill. He loved instructing students, helping them understand and appreciate science and working with the other staff. He retired in 2010, and he and Liz began spending much of their time at their home on the lake in Kalkaska, Michigan. It was the perfect place for summer and winter recreation: boating and swimming, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, and they made many wonderful friends. Steve loved the outdoors, and spent time fishing, hunting, walking in the woods, and traveling with Liz in their motorhome. They attended many "Barth" (the make of their motorhome) get-togethers across the country and visited Barth friends in Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Ohio and Minnesota. They eventually found a winter home near Port Charlotte, Florida. After living in Michigan for so long, Steve was ready to leave snow behind for the warmth and sunshine of Florida. He said he had had enough practice shoveling snow! At the RV park, Steve enjoyed making breakfasts for a crowd. People often found him at the outdoor kitchen grill, flipping pancakes or French toast and scrambling eggs. He had many terrific friends there and always offered to help with holiday meals and parties, repair a water heater or troubleshoot an electrical issue.
He had so many different interests and skills. His father taught him so much, Steve could fix or engineer and build almost anything. He loved reading and researching, spending time with friends and family and helping other people. He was friends with everyone he met, and always offered to help with any project, big or small. He wrote detailed technical postings on Barthmobile.com, explaining how to replace an engine, fix a generator, a transmission, or a plumbing issue. He was a pretty accomplished engine mechanic, built unique folding bicycles from parts, repaired circuit boards and could fix anything around the house or in RVs. He was a pilot and flew his Cessna 172 back and forth from Canton to Kalkaska, making over one hundred round trips. Steve boated Lake Superior with his father, making many trips to Isle Royale National Park. He loved fireworks and gave quite a show on Log Lake each 4th of July. His conversations and discussions were often long and full of detail, but he knew almost everything about almost everything. The only really troublesome Jeopardy categories for him were "Opera" and "Sports"!
Steve shared kind words and encouragement with others, and he was a mentor to many. He was an honorable, kindhearted man with a great sense of humor. Steve loved his family and kept them close to his heart, and he counted many people as friends.
We will have a casual neighborhood gathering on July 5 and a private family celebration of Steve's life in Chassell, Michigan, later in the summer.
Please visit www.kalkaskafuneralhome.com to visit Steve's tribute page and share a memory with his family. Memorial contributions may be made to The Friends of the Kalkaska County Library, Kalkaska Area Interfaith Resources and the Gift of Life Michigan. All may be found online and offer online donations.