Steve Alan Blodgett passed away peacefully at his home in Kennewick, WA on January 25th, 2024 due to complications from cancer.

Steve loved people. He delighted in family gatherings, in telling stories, and making others laugh. He was goal-oriented, driven, organized, and hard-working. He was an avid investor and penny-pincher. He had an affinity for manual labor, a good memory for maps and mileage, a knack for numbers, and always enjoyed being right. He was sarcastic–in his younger days maybe a even bit stubborn–though he always tried to be kind and thoughtful to those he met. He was a good colleague, a devoted friend, and the best father anyone could hope for. He loved his family and especially enjoyed spending time with his grandkids and great-grandkids. He will be greatly missed.

Steve was born in Hamilton, Montana in 1952 to Donald and Winifred Blodgett. He was extremely proud of his Montana roots and eagerly offered stories of the Bitterroot Valley and Blodgett Canyon to anyone who would listen. He played basketball and football, and sang in the choir at Hamilton High before graduating in 1970. He attended Ricks College where he met his best friend, Virginia Stahn, whom he married in 1973. Though Steve and Ginger's first home would be a one-room fire lookout in the Bitterroot National Forest, they would go on to live in Provo, UT and Moses Lake, WA before ultimately making their home in Kennewick, where they spent nearly 50 years together.

As a professional, Steve enjoyed his work as a financial controller. He spent many years in the agricultural industry and contributed to the financial success of companies like Oxarc (1975), Ag Engineering (1984), Red Lion Hotels (2007), and BioGrow Inc. (2012) before retiring in 2014. In 2017, Steve was elected to the Board of Commissioners for the Kennewick Hospital District where he also served as treasurer and helped pull the hospital out of bankruptcy. He enjoyed serving his community in various ways throughout his life as scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, on the board of the Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre, and as the president of the Kiwanis Club to name a few.

Outside of work, few things were as enjoyable to Steve as singing and performing. He was proud of his involvement with the Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre, contributing as either a singer, actor, or producer to dozens of productions throughout his life. He sang regularly with the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, at the County Fair, and would happily perform at church and family events whenever the opportunity presented itself. He enjoyed playing "Jean Pierre and Anne Marie" on the guitar, "You Are My Sunshine" on the piano, and at one point even ventured a clogging class with his granddaughters.

Those who spent time with Steve could tell you that a favorite pasttime was watching BYU sports. He rarely missed a men or women's basketball game and proudly sported his BYU gear until it hung by a thread. Though he loved playing basketball, golf, or tennis with his children and grandchildren, it was running that kept him moving through most of his life. He confidently completed races in Washington, Utah, Tennessee, and Alaska–including various 5ks, half-marathons, and the 2018 St. George Marathon, less than a year after completing his first battle with cancer.

Though he never pushed it on others, Steve was a man of heartfelt faith. He worked throughout his life to be honest and kind to those around him. He frequently and devotedly served in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in both leadership positions and with the youth, whether it were teaching, ministering, camping, or cleaning. He believed in Jesus Christ and His gospel, which he knew provided comfort, perspective, and direction throughout his life.

Though music, sports, and church were very important to him, nothing brought Steve more joy and pride than his family. He loved all six of his children, their spouses, his 21 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Among those who will miss him dearly are his wife of 51 years Virginia (Stahn) Blodgett; his six children Toni (Rick) Parmelee of Kennewick, WA, Joseph Blodgett of Memphis, TN, Amber (Paul) Martin of Kennewick, WA, Stephanie (Alvin) Amistad of Provo, UT, Rita Fryer of Kennewick, WA, and Jedediah (Tara) Blodgett of Hastings, NE.

Family and friends are welcome to attend a celebration of his life on January 30th, 2024 at 11:00am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (4445 S Olympia Street in Kennewick, WA). A visitation will also be held at Mueller's Funeral Home (1401 S Union St, Kennewick, WA) from 5:00-7:00pm on Monday, January 29th. Steve will be buried in the Blodgett Cemetery in Hamilton, MT on Friday, Feb. 2nd. Flowers are welcome and appreciated, but donations can also be made in Steve's name to the Blodgett Cemetery.

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