Our brother in Christ, Steve Schmidlap, is now in the arms of Jesus.
Steve and his wife, Trudy, have been with Canyon for over 18 years and it's hard to imagine our church family without Steve. It was so appropriate that the sermon on the Sunday when we announced his passing was on the topic of Barnabas because Steve was such a huge encourager!
For the last 10 years, Steve served as an elder at Canyon. He loved God and he loved and served our church family faithfully, and we’re thankful for his joyful witness. His happy encouragement and gentle compassion will be deeply missed. If there's golf in heaven, we’re sure he's taking in a round right now.
The (Arizona) celebration of life for Steve will be held in our worship center on Saturday, September 28 at 2:00 PM. If you are part of the Canyon family and would like to help serve at this memorial, please contact our Senior Minister, Robert Miller. Below is an obituary provided to us by the family, which includes details on memorial donations, and an additional celebration of life to be held later for his friends and family in Missouri.
OBITUARY FOR STEVEN SCHMIDLAP
Steve (Steven) Frederick Schmidlap, 78, died Thursday, July 11, 2024, at his home in Anthem, Arizona. He leaves his wife of 57 years, Trudy Kay McDaniel Schmidlap, his sons, Steven Mathew Schmidlap and Brent David Schmidlap and his daughter, Lisa Diane Schmidlap; his son-in-law, Michael Steven Kagnoff, and three grandchildren, Jacob Emory Kagnoff, Drew Mitchell Kagnoff and Elle Jolie Kagnoff. He also leaves two brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
Steve was born the proud son of Bob (Robert) and Betty Schmidlap, on December 5, 1945, in Indianapolis, IN. Steve earned his BS and MS in Education from Indiana University, completing both degrees in four years in 1968. On June 10, 1967, he married the love of his life and high school sweetheart. Upon marrying, Steve and Trudy moved to St. Louis. Steve taught at Spoede Elementary and Conway Elementary in the Ladue School District for 38 years. He touched many young lives during his career.
In addition to teaching, Steve worked in the local grocery store, worked at a summer camp several years, and painted houses (inside or out) year-round. He was a very hard worker.
Steve served as a deacon at the Lafayette Church of Christ in Ballwin, MO. He also served on the board of directors for Christian Family Services in St. Louis, MO, for many years.
When Steve retired from teaching, Trudy and he moved to Arizona. They settled in a beautiful planned community called Anthem where Steve was a golf member and became an avid golfer.
Steve served as an elder at the Canyon Church of Christ in Phoenix and was dedicated to serving the Lord. He was caring and compassionate and loved unconditionally. He treated everyone he encountered with respect. He was witty and brought life into the room.
In addition to golfing, Steve enjoyed traveling, reading, and listening to music and cherished spending time with family and friends. When traveling he particularly enjoyed visiting National Parks and Kauai. He reveled in the beauty of Mount Rainier and made the climb to the summit twice in his youth.
Steve will be missed beyond imagination. A celebration of life will be held at Canyon Church of Christ in Phoenix, AZ on September 28 at 2pm. There will also be a celebration held at Lafayette Church of Christ in Ballwin, MO on October 5 at 2pm.
Gifts in memory of Steven may be made to Christian Family Services in St. Louis, MO or The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.