Steven Franklin Elliott

Steven Franklin Elliott (Steve) passed away peacefully at his home in Lenexa, KS on May 5, 2025 after a long battle with Type 1 diabetes. A memorial celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at Lenexa United Methodist Church, 9138 Caenen Lake Rd, Lenexa, KS.

Steve was born October 9, 1947 in Knoxville, Iowa to Claude Franklin Elliott and Garnetta Mae Chivington Elliott. He had an idyllic childhood in St. Joseph, Missouri at a time when kids could roam free on their bikes all day long until suppertime. Steve had many stories about climbing trees, exploring the cliffs around St. Joe and the Missouri River, and playing with his pet dog Tramp. Steve loved the outdoors and spent many hours fishing, hiking, canoeing and camping over the years. In his later years, he loved nothing more than to go out for a drive and explore.

Steve loved radios all his life, starting as a ham radio operator as a teenager, and working as a DJ at KKJO in St. Joe while in college. He joined the United States Air Force in 1966 and served until 1970, where he worked on radio relay equipment in Japan. Steve innovated an improvement on the radios that took him on a special assignment to Vietnam. He was flown to radio sites all over the country to implement the upgrades during the height of the Vietnam conflict.

Steve graduated from Central High School in St. Joseph in 1965. He was a lifelong learner, and lover of books, attending Missouri Western University, Sofia University, University of Missouri and continuing education throughout his career and life. After the Air Force, Steve worked at AT&T on telephone networking equipment and eventually as a computer programmer and instructor at the AT&T Data Center. Steve consulted as a computer engineer and programmer at various companies in the Kansas City area, including Russel Stover, Sprint, and retiring from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.

Steve loved his family and made sure they all inherited his sense of humor. He is survived by his wife, Cathy Jane Trude Elliott, 3 children, Christel Michelle Elliott Mothersbaugh (Ken), Jeffrey Paul Elliott (Shannon) and Sarah Jane Elliott, 6 grandchildren (Blake, Monica, Derek, Samantha, Saoirse, and Arthur), his brother Charles Elliott, his sister-in-law, Debra Peavler, his mother-in-law Colleen Trude and many cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. He was preceded in death by his parents, Claude Franklin Elliott and Garnetta Mae Elliott, as well as his father-in-law John Trude, sister-in-law Elaine Elliott, brother-in-law Randy Peavler and nephew Christopher Elliott.

Steve had many hobbies and collections over the years. He loved road trips, fishing, old radios, old tools, books, trains, astronomy, history, football, the New Orleans Saints, Mizzou, the Chiefs, the Royals, photography, old cameras, classic rock and roll and his Jeep Wrangler. He was grateful for and appreciated the efforts of the medical teams, therapists, and home health assistants who took care of him and became part of the family over the years.

Memorial contributions can be made to Break Through T1D - https://www2.breakthrought1d.org/