Steve’s life was defined by his steadfast belief in Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior. He lived to bring God glory and had abundant joy of the hope of eternity. He believed, lived, and led his family according to his assurance in the Gospel. His eyes were ever fixed on the eternity with Jesus that awaited him.
Steven James Squires was born Dec. 27, 1977, to Dale and Ellen (Hodge) Squires in Newton. He passed away on Feb. 20, 2019, at his home surrounded by his family.
Steve attended Lynnville-Sully School and graduated with the Class of 1996. He went on to earn a degree in education from the University of Northern Iowa.
Dec. 22, 2000, he was united in marriage to Heidi Van Wyk in Sully. They were blessed with five children: Elizabeth, Abigail, Sophia, Benjamin, and Hudson.
Steve worked for the State of Iowa for the past 16 years, currently with the Department of Inspections and Appeals.
He had the exceptional and rare gift to make everyone he interacted with feel like the most valued person in the world and loved beyond comparison. No matter who you were, Steve recognized and expressed the intrinsic value that God has placed on everyone.
He also understood the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ displayed on the Cross of Calvary. This poured out in nearly every facet of Steve’s selfless and sacrificial life. Any life connected to Steve and his family was touched by his service and help. It was next to impossible to tell him not to help and they often times left people feeling like it was his pleasure to serve, with no strings attached.
Steve’s first and foremost priority was carrying the Gospel to his family. His love and devotion to them is evidenced by the following:
“Dad was the most hardworking, selfless man I knew. Filled with tons of tenacity, he was constantly stopping what he was doing and what was important to him to go help someone else. He hated to sit still and relax because he always wanted to be doing something or encouraging someone and that’s what I loved about him most.” – Elizabeth
“A few prominent things that I remember about dad were that he always used the word sketchy and that mom didn’t like it, he could not sing on tune to save his life, and that he always wanted his kids to do things: Learn to blow bubbles, ride a bike, and whistle. And every time he roofed a house, he tucked his sweats into his socks and claimed it was “cool.” Also, his all-time favorite flavor of Gatorade was orange because it was the first flavor.” – Abby
“I remember when my dad would pull us on a sled behind his three-wheeler. I loved it when my dad would help me with my math homework. I remember when my dad taught me how to set up hunting traps to catch what was eating my rabbits.” – Sophia
“My dad taught me so much. I remember on my third birthday, he came and lifted me over his head and said happy birthday, and I loved my birthday with him.” – Benjamin
“My dad taught me how to play flag football. When he tucked me in, he always said, ‘I love you, goodnight.’ My dad would want me to grow up to be someone nice, encouraging, and love Jesus. My dad is strong and helped me with a lot of jobs.” – Hudson
The Sully Community Church where Steve and his family faithfully attended was another avenue in which the Gospel ran through his life. Steve served as the youth leader for over 15 years, touching numerous lives along the way. He also enjoyed volunteering in the community coaching his kids’ various sports teams.
Steve’s influence will be felt by all for lifetimes to come. He led by example and used his entire life for service as Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Uncle, Mentor, Leader, and Influencer.
Those left to cherish his memory: His wife: Heidi Squires; their children: Elizabeth, Abigail, Sophia, Benjamin, and Hudson; his father: Dale Squires of Killduff; his brothers: Dale Squires, Jr. of Oskaloosa and Chad (Michelle) Squires, Trevor, Evan, and Kyle of Killduff; his parents-in-law and their family: Jaci Van Wyk of Sully, Delwin (Karen) Van Wyk of Newton, Heather (Matt) Zylstra, Noah, Sage, and Lily of Lynnville, and Nathan (Elizabeth) Van Wyk and Samuel of Grinnell.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother Ellen Squires, his paternal grandparents Freddie and Anita Squires, and his maternal grandparents Jim and Bertha Hodge.
Memorial donations may be made to: Squires Scholarship, c/o 1st State Bank, Box 307, Sully, IA 50251.
Funeral service was held at the Lynnville-Sully High School gym at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24.
