Stephen Davis Barth

Stephen Davis Barth, 76, of Vero Beach, Florida, went to be with Jesus on Thursday, July 27, 2023. He was born on May 23, 1947, in St. Louis, MO, the son of Walter James and Ruth Josephine Barth.

On May 24, 2015, in Fort Pierce, Florida, he was united in marriage to Kathy Barth, who survives the home.

Steve (or Papa Steve) enjoyed spending time with his family, including his four daughters, their spouses, and 15 grandkids (yes, you read that right). He lived his life fully and enjoyed golfing, camping, traveling, serving as a pastor, ministering to others, volunteering to feed the homeless, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, catching up with friends, watching movies (especially the “feel good” ones—you know, the ones that make you cry at the end), singing along to music, laughing, and telling stories to anyone who would listen.

Steve was happily involved with the Cursillo community while he lived in Missouri and enjoyed sharing that “the best is yet to come.” We know he is finally able to celebrate their saying that “the best has come” to him, and he is with his creator.

Steve is survived by his four daughters and their families: Cara (Brett) Barth-Fagan, Levi, Ziek, Kelton, and Ty of Sedalia, MO; Anna (Chad) Stonecipher, Chandler, Jaxson, and Mercedez of Boonville, MO; Dena (Kelly) Pittsenbarger, Kole, Trey, Aaron, and Tori of Springfield, MO; and Leah (Matt) Barth, Connor, Abigail, Makenna, and Emma of Shawnee, KS.

Steve and his first wife, Janet Barth, were married for 38 years before their separation.

Steve’s wife, Kathy, has two sons and four grandchildren, whom he was also proud of.

Steve grew up in Weldon Spring, MO. Here’s a fun fact: Steve started school in the first grade, as they didn’t offer a kindergarten class. He graduated from Francis Howell High School in 1965, the first class with over 100 graduates. He was an Eagle Scout and enjoyed many scouting trips with his dad and brother. He was incredibly proud of the trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

He attended Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU) for two years and completed his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Sociology at Lindenwood College in 1974. In February 1974, he became the District Scout Executive with the Boy Scouts of America in St. Louis. In 1980, Steve felt the calling to become a United Methodist minister, entered the ministry, and graduated from Saint Paul School of Theology with a Master in Divinity in 1983. He served Sweet Springs UMC from 1980–1984, Maysville UMC from 1984–1990, Savannah UMC from 1990–1994, Brookfield UMC from 1994–1998, Nevada UMC from 1998–2002, and ended his career at Rolla UMC from 2002–2005. After he retired from ministry, Steve worked as a personal banker with Bank Liberty in Liberty, MO, for several years.

Later, Steve moved south to Florida, where he enjoyed being a banker, a maintenance guy, and a “fix-it” handyman. Steve was an active member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Vero Beach, where he was a trustee, and found great joy in serving spaghetti meals for the children’s worship ministry and delivering meals to the homeless.

Steve had a knack for making everyone feel welcomed and loved. He never knew a stranger and could always find something in common with the people he met. If you’re reading this, you know what we’re talking about. Steve was honored to serve as pastor for many of his parishioners' weddings and baptisms, and he humbly served others while they grieved the loss of their loved ones. He was rarely frustrated or upset, and his daughters think they only ever heard him say a curse word once (when they got the back end of their conversion van stuck in the mud).

Steve was one of four kids and was an identical twin. We bet you’re wondering if he and his brother ever tried to switch classes, and the answer is YES!

He is survived by his older sister, Elizabeth Terry, and his nephews, Matthew (Tyler) Terry, Christine (his great-niece), and Mark and Cathy Terry, all from Florida.

His identical “older by 7 minutes” twin brother (and family), William (Terri) Barth; niece, Angela (Otto) Wilson, Colton, and Wesley (Kaylyn) (his great nephews), are living in Colorado; and nephew David (Christen) Wallace, Micah, and Chloe Long (his great nephew and niece) live in Florida. His youngest sister, Pamela Barth (and family), nephew Jonathan (Laura) Fisher, Ella and Sarah (great nieces), and Rachel (Tyler) Joyner, Gracie, and Hayes (his great niece and nephew) all live in North Carolina.

Steve was proud to be an organ and blood donor. The blessing for the family is that Steve’s eyes and tissues were able to be donated upon his death. We know he would be so proud to know that his organs and tissues are benefiting others and improving their lives. The family wants to thank the Neptune Society of Pompano Beach for Steve’s cremation services.

One of Steve’s favorite hymns from the United Methodist Hymnal is Shalom to You. Shalom means peace to you when you greet someone or say goodbye. He would sing this to his church members on the last day he served at a church. It was his way of saying “goodbye.” Now that we are saying goodbye to him, we can rest assured that Steve was not afraid of death because he knew where he was going.

Shalom to you, Steve/Dad/Papa Steve. We love you and will carry on your legacy of serving others and being the hands and feet of Christ.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 26th, at First United Methodist Church, 916 Thompson Blvd., Sedalia, MO 65301, with Reverand Bill Koch officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

The family suggests memorial contributions in lieu of flowers be made to The American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/en/ or Habitat for Humanity: https://www.habitat.org/

If you are not already an organ donor, please consider signing up to be one. And, if you are, thank you.