Steven Wayne Plate, 69, of Grinnell, died un-expectedly Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at UnityPoint - Grinnell Regional Medical Center. A funeral service was held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Grinnell Christian Church with Pastor Anthony Nieuwsma (Grinnell Friends Church) officiating. Interment was led by Pastor Ron Bryan (Grinnell Friends Church) at Bethel Cemetery north of Lynnville. A memorial fund will be established.
Steve was born Feb. 26, 1956, on March Air Force Base in Riverside, CA, to John and Vivian (Simmons) Plate. As the son of a United States Air Force serviceman, Steve spent his childhood in several different locations, including Washington, Guam, Ohio, and Nebraska. Steve had many cherished memories of little league baseball on Guam, most notably playing the Japanese little league national team. The family eventually returned to central Iowa, settling in Montezuma in 1972, following his father’s retirement from the Air Force. Steve graduated from Montezuma High School with the Class of 1974.
He went on to attend the American Institute of Business in Des Moines, Simpson College, and night classes at Drake University, all while working for local CPA firms. He notably passed the CPA exam in 1980 after studying nearly non-stop for two weeks. Steve was a longtime CPA in Grinnell, starting Plate & Company, P.C., in 1981. Known not only for his professionalism and expertise, but also for his genuine care for his clients, he took a personal interest in the wellbeing and success of those he served.
Steve was married to Mindy Uitermarkt from 1981 to 1998. Together, they were blessed with three sons: Jonathan, Ryan, and Andrew. Oct. 13, 2012, Steve married Cindy (Kriegel) Schmidt at their home southwest of Grinnell. They shared a passion for supporting their blended family.
A steward of the land, Steve was an avid outdoorsman and loved conservation, habitat development, hunting, and fly-fishing. His passion for the outdoors began at a young age pheasant hunting with his brothers, dad, and their beloved English Springer Spaniels. Starting in the early 1980s, and while his boys were growing up, he and his family took annual fly-fishing trips to the Frying Pan River near Basalt, CO. Steve made his home on an acreage southwest of Grinnell in 1990, which sparked a 35-year span of prairie restoration, tree plantings, and other habitat projects. With this came countless memories with his boys, family, and friends, hunting deer, pheasants, and turkey, and most notably their cherished annual deer camp tradition. While he enjoyed hunting, what mattered most to him was blending the time spent with his sons and family with their love of the outdoors—making memories that lasted far longer than any trophy buck or pheasant.
Steve had a lifelong love of music, from toting around a little record player as a young boy, to the 8-tracks in his ’66 Chevelle, waking up his boys by cranking up his Yamaha sound system in the house, and attending live venues and concerts with family and friends. He was also a lifelong baseball fan, which was sparked by a trip with his dad to see the Los Angeles Dodgers and Sandy Koufax play in San Francisco. Steve was a Dodgers fan from that point on. As an adult, he enjoyed playing fastpitch softball with friends for many years. Later, he enjoyed competition and camaraderie with friends and family on the golf course. He treasured his evening walks with Cindy and their weekend drives together. He was a cherished grandfather, loving to rough house with the grandkids, attending their events, taking them on adventures, and supporting their passions. He was looking forward to meeting his newest grandchild, who Andy and Felicity are expecting this summer.
Steve is survived by his wife Cindy; his sons Jonathan (Nichelle) Plate, Ryan (Alex) Plate, and Andy (Felicity) Plate, all of Grinnell; stepchildren Jesse (Brooke) Schmidt and Chad (Karley) Schmidt, all of Montezuma, and Cherie (Teemu) Koivisto of Tampere, Finland; 10 and one soon-to-arrive grand-children; his father John Plate; his siblings, Bob (Mellisa) Plate and Tim (Cindy) Plate; several nieces and nephews; and his brother-in-law Tom Sosebee.
He was preceded in death by his mother Vivian and his sister Debbie Sosebee.
