Steve M. Vandemark

On Friday, September 25th, 2020 Steven Michael Vandemark, esteemed educator, doting father and husband, food connoisseur, and sports fanatic, lost his greatest battle with mental illness, an illness that few knew about. A struggle that made Steve feel less than; it was an illness that he was very private about and did not share with people for fear of the societal stigma.

Steve was born, January 20th, 1968 in Decatur, Illinois to parents Sally and Mike Vandemark. He grew up in the Shawnee Mission area and graduated high school from Shawnee Mission North. Growing up he was known to stir up trouble with his two brothers and friends, many of whom he stayed connected with into his adult years.

After graduating high school, Steve met his best friend, Stacy, and they attended Emporia State University, where they received their degrees in Elementary Education. While in college he started his favorite adventure by marrying Stacy, on June 1st, 1991. They spent 29 wonderful years together serving children and their community, as well as pursuing their passion for travel.

After college he began his lifelong pursuit to change the lives of children by teaching 6th and 2nd grade at Rhein Benninghoven and coaching basketball at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. He took a lot of pride in being an SMSD graduate.

After many years Steve decided he was ready for a new challenge and went back to school at Pittsburg State University to receive his master's degree in Administration. He then took his first principal position at Santa Fe Trail Elementary where he become a beloved member of the school community. He was always known for being a fixer, so after quite a few years he was moved to Briarwood Elementary where he spent his time creating a school community where everyone felt welcomed and loved. After some time, he got the opportunity to serve two of his biggest passions: his Lord and the lives of children by becoming the principal at Christ Lutheran School. There he was able to continue to grow in his relationship with Jesus and touch the lives of people through his intense and unfailing faith. After six years he decided he was ready to bring his love of Christ to the public school district and became a principal at Morse Elementary in the Blue Valley School District.

Steve was blessed on August 1st, 1997 with a beautiful daughter, Sara, who he had a special bond with, not only as a parental figure but also as a beloved mentor in the art of education and the craft of tomfoolery. After many years he and his wife decided they wanted to touch the life of another child and adopted Tony Vandemark on April 17th, 2006.

Growing up in Kansas City made him a lifelong K-State, Royals, and Chiefs fan. On weekends you would find Steve in his favorite sports team shirt trying to coach the teams from his living room. Steve was a kid at heart. He loved to joke around and have a good time. He would do whatever he could to make someone smile and go out of his way to help anybody, even if they were a stranger.

He joins his Lord and Savior; brother: Brian Vandemark, and grandparents in heaven. He leaves behind his wife of 29 years Stacy, two children: Sara and Tony; his parents: Mike and Sally Vandemark; his brother: Jason Vandemark; a brother in law: Doug Emberton; a brother and sister in law: Kelley and Wayne Wenz; a mother and father in law: Phyllis McGuire and Charles Emberton; his grandmother: Francis Vandemark, and so many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, a niece, and nephews. Steve never knew a stranger therefore he also leaves behind countless colleagues, former students, and friends.

To celebrate the life of Steve Vandemark, a visitation will be held Friday, October 2nd at Grace Church from 5 – 8 pm. On Saturday, October 3rd a memorial service will also be held at Grace Church at 11 am.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family as they will be creating an educational fund or supporting a mental illness organization to honor Steve's memory.





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