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Steve lived a life defined by service, intelligence, loyalty, humor, and an unwavering willingness to help others.

Steven George Pierce, known simply as Steve to nearly everyone and as Stevey to his wife, passed away on September 12, 2026, at the age of 52.

Steve was born on December 3, 1973, in Watertown, New York, and later made his home in Orlando, Florida. He was the beloved husband of Aira Janet Pierce, with whom he shared 24 years together and 23 years of marriage, and the deeply loved father of Elliott Alejandro Pierce. He was the son of Joyce Pierce and Eugene Pierce and brother of Deborah Anne Pierce.

Steve lived a life defined by service, intelligence, loyalty, humor, and an unwavering willingness to help others.

He proudly served in the United States Army from 1992 to 2004 in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. During his military career, he also completed multiple tours in Egypt as part of a peacekeeping force. His commitment to service continued beyond the Army when he later worked with the United States Secret Service at the White House. During his time there, he was among the early responders following a nearby plane crash—one of many moments in his life that reflected his instinct to step forward when others needed help.

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He was brilliant, generous, outgoing, and endlessly willing to extend a hand to someone who needed one.

Eventually, health concerns led Steve into medical retirement and an entirely new chapter of his life. Never one to stop learning or moving forward, he returned to school, earned his bachelor's degree, and later began working as a Financial Aid Analyst at Valencia College. Education mattered deeply to Steve, not simply as an accomplishment but as something to be shared. He wanted people to understand things. He wanted them to ask questions. And if you asked Steve a question, chances were you were going to get an answer, a conversation, an opinion, a story, and probably a few jokes before it was over.

Steve was, above all else, a man of his word. He was brilliant, generous, outgoing, and endlessly willing to extend a hand to someone who needed one. Very little was off-limits for conversation. He could sit down with someone and discuss almost anything, whether serious, ridiculous, complicated, or somewhere in between. He had a kick-ass sense of humor, loved a good debate, and was capable of turning even an ordinary conversation into something memorable.

Steve was also a lifelong learner with no shortage of interests. He loved painting miniatures, playing board games and video games, and reading. Most recently, he finished the entire Witcher book series, though he was less than impressed by what he considered an excessive amount of Ciri getting herself into one situation after another. It was exactly the kind of opinion Steve would happily explain to anyone willing to listen—and probably to a few people who had not asked.

For all that Steve accomplished in his life, nothing meant more to him than his family.

He loved his wife, Aira, deeply, and he was immensely proud of his son, Elliott. One of the things that brought him the greatest pride was knowing that Elliott would be graduating this semester. Steve saw the person his son had become and the future ahead of him, and he was proud beyond words.

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He leaves behind stories that will be told for years, conversations that will be missed, lessons that will not be forgotten.

Steve leaves behind his beloved wife, Aira; his son, Elliott; his sister, Debbie; and brother in law; Eric Ritenour; and mother in law; his suegrita negrita; Aida; the many friends, colleagues, fellow service members, and people whose lives were made better simply because Steve was part of them.

There are people who leave behind accomplishments, and there are people who leave behind pieces of themselves in everyone who knew them. Steve did both.

He leaves behind stories that will be told for years, conversations that will be missed, lessons that will not be forgotten, and a family that will carry his love with them for the rest of their lives.

He goes ahead of us now, but he will be waiting for Ellie and me.

Until then, Stevey.