Steven David Ball, 72, passed away at home the morning of Monday, December 19, 2022. He was born on December 6, 1950 in Carthage, Missouri. He was the eldest of eight children born to Floyd David Ball (1927-1999) and Virginia Maxine Bowen (1930-2018).  He grew up as an Army brat, and excelled academically in math and science during high school. It was his high school teacher whose stories about service in the Navy that led him to meet with a Navy Recruiter in Joplin, Missouri. He later enlisted in April of 1969. He met his wife, Adelina, in 1978 and they married in 1980 and had two daughters, Stephani and Staci. He retired as a Chief Electronics Technician from the Navy after 23 years of service in 1992. He leaves behind his wife, his two daughters and sons-in-law, four grand-children, one brother, three sisters, and a whole slew of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Steve was a robust man with gold in his heart, a storyteller, mischief maker, keeper of secrets, biggest hug giver, corny joke teller– full of hearty, contagious laughter.  He loved spending time with his family, and especially being "Lolo" (Filipino for Grandpa) to his pride and joys: Olivia, Jackson, Alina, and Rhett.

He enjoyed being the family historian on genealogy and piecing the timeline back to the 1400s, loved a good pot of coffee aka mud, and indulged savoring the corner piece of his Aunt Mary's famous oatmeal cake.

He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. How lucky we are to have fond memories of someone, that makes saying goodbye so hard.

The wisdom he leaves for the future generations: "For those who don't know what path they want to pursue at the age of eighteen, I highly recommend a tour of duty with one of the Armed Forces branches. It will teach you self-discipline, provide an eye-opening experience, and give you some perspective on what the cost of this great country's freedom really is. Seeing how the rest of the world lives, makes one appreciate what we have here."

A graveside service will be held 10:30am Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at Barrancas National Cemetery.