Stephen Edgington Jordan
Stephen Edgington Jordan came into this world on August 4, 1932, in Wallowa, Oregon and passed away on May 4, 2015. He was born to the late U.S. Senator Leonard "Len" B. Jordan and author Grace Edgington Jordan.
When he was only seven months old, he, along with his sister Patricia and brother Joseph, moved with their parents to a remote sheep ranch in Hell's Canyon where he received his early education, being taught by his mother as there were no schools in the canyon. He first entered public school in the fifth grade in Grangeville, Idaho, where he graduated in 1949. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1955 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating from college, Steve was employed by General Electric Company in the Gas Turbine Department in Schenectady, New York.
Steve was married to Eleanor Knucky in 1959. They had two children, Kirk Stephen in 1960, and Kathleen Casey in 1963. They also adopted two children, a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Tien David. Steve was later married to Colleen Maynard (nee Pierce) in 1978. They adopted one son, Kenneth Deane.
In upstate New York, Steve was very active with youth groups and spent many hours camping, hiking, and teaching his own children, as well as at risk children from that area. He always loved working with youth.
Steve was employed in the G.E. gas turbine business most of his career. Although, in 1980 he accepted a position with the Arabian American Oil Company in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He worked a total of seven years in Saudi Arabia and enjoyed the Saudi people very much. He often said the happiest years of his life were spent in Saudi Arabia. After completing his work in Saudi Arabia, he accepted a job in Houston, Texas. Between assignments he moved to Boise, Idaho, to be near his mother in her final years.
With retirement in mind, in 1996, he took a course in home inspection which enabled him to leave Houston and other big cities behind and move to Lincoln City, Oregon, to perform home inspections. He retired from this work in 2004. He always loved Oregon (as well as Idaho where he grew up) and longed to return to the West where the friendliest people on earth reside.
When in college, Steve was a Sigma Chi. Those days were happy ones where he had many friends and participated in interesting social activities. It brought smiles to his face when he recalled those days of his youth.
Steve was a member of the United Church of Christ (Congregational Church) in Lincoln City. For several years he was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Lincoln City where he directed the award winning Kiwanis Kazoo Band. He enjoyed Taft High sports and the youth of this community.
In the latter years, he loved living and playing with wonderful neighbors in the Coronado Shores community. His favorite pastime was playing the guitar, singing, and being with friends and family. He also spent lots of time camping in the beautiful Oregon campgrounds. In addition, he treasured the company of his super golf buddies. So what if they were not in the league with Tiger Woods. They enjoyed a special comradery.
He is survived by his wife, Colleen, of the home, and five children: Kirk of Conway, Arkansas; Tien of Sapulpa, Oklahoma; Kenneth of Lincoln City, Oregon; Dr. Casey Jordan of New Milford, Connecticut; Jordan of Denver, Colorado, as well as eight amazing grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother and sister.
Memorial was held on Monday, May 10, 2015 Lincoln Congregational Church.