Steven LeRoy Day passed away peacefully in his home in Evanston on Sunday, Feb. 25, within the quiet comfort of his loving wife, LuAnn.
Steve was born on Oct. 30, 1945, in Los Angeles, to Elmer Elsworth Day and Audrey Wymore. He spent his boyhood in Polson and Great Falls, Montana, where he attended Paris Gibson Jr. High (named after one of the great founding fathers of Great Falls) and Great Falls High School.
In 1962, with a desire to serve his country at the young age of 17, Steve joined the Navy and completed his schooling while serving on the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk as captain’s mate and cook for two years during the Vietnam War.
In 1964, Steve returned to his native roots in Great Falls for a short time and became known to his friends and family as the “Happy Wanderer.” He loved to travel and explore new places. Through Steve’s wanderlust, he lived and visited nearly every state in the continental U.S. including Anchorage, Alaska, making friends wherever he went with his charm, good nature and sense of humor.
In 1983, At the age of 38, Steve was working in Santa Cruz, California, when he met Janell Bauer. They moved to her hometown in Grand Junction, Colorado, where they married and settled down to start a family.
Steven and Janell adopted their first son, Ross Day, on Aug. 4, 1985, and, two years later, were blessed again on May 23, 1987, with the birth of another son, Ryan Day. Although Steve and Janell parted ways, Steve continued to live in Grand Junction to be close to his two boys.
While living in Grand Junction, Steve worked for Jim Dart, owner of Grand Junction Mesa Medical, for 13 years. Through this endeavor, Jim and Steve would become lifelong friends.
In 1990, while delivering oxygen to the Roosevelt and Vernal area, Steve met LuAnn Grant Pace, who worked at the Uintah Basin Medical Center. After a year of courtship, they were married on Feb. 9, 1991.
LuAnn introduced eight children from a previous marriage into their relationship. On LuAnn and Steve’s wedding day, Steve was overheard saying, “I can’t believe I am marrying a lady with eight kids!”
Over the course of their marriage, Steve would proudly serve the role of provider, protector and father to 10 beautiful children.
In 2002, Steve and LuAnn moved to Tooele, Utah, where they lived for more than 20 years. During that time, Steve drove truck for Broken Arrow Construction and Wind River Construction.
Steve and LuAnn moved to Evanston, where they have lived for the past two years. On Feb. 9, 2024, Steve and LuAnn celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary.
Nearing the end of his life, his best friend and boyhood “chum,” Mike Bestch, and his wife, Marty, came to visit Steve and his family to celebrate a life of friendship, parting ways knowing it would be the last time they would see each other in this lifetime.
Steve LeRoy Day lived a life full of passion, love and adventure. His quick wit and charm were beloved by his closest friends and family. He was a man whose generosity knew no bounds, who would drop anything and everything in the efforts to help a friend.
In this life, and in the next, we can sleep soundly knowing he is on another one of his adventures.
Steve is preceded in death by his mother, Audrey Wyomore; his sister, Vickie Paul Farnam; his brother, Aaron Paull; and his first wife, Janell Bauer.
Steve is survived by his wife, LuAnn Day; his sister, Susan Paul Arnold; his sons, Ross (Whitney) and Ryan (Amanda) Day; his step-children, Thomas (Jessica) Pace, Jennifer (Curt) Dustin, MaryAnn (Danny) Albertson, Tamara (Dawayne) King, Robert Pace, Kymm (Chad) Kiehl, Andrew (Dana) Pace and Matthew (Amanda) Pace; 37 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Please join us in a celebration of life from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, at the Sage LDS Culture Hall, located at 201 Sage St., in Evanston.
A private luncheon for family and out-of-town guests will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“There are no goodbyes for us… Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.”
