Tribute

Steven Howard Tolley, 73, passed away peacefully at home on November 4, 2024, surrounded by his family. While it will not define him, for the last 19 months he navigated ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in the same way he lived: with optimism, courage, faith, and a sense of humor. He was born on October 6, 1951, in Galesburg to Howard and Marjorie Tolley, the oldest of three children. After graduating from Galesburg High School in 1969 and the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 1973, he proposed to Margaret Shragal after just one month of dating, which began a loving partnership and marriage that lasted more than 50 years. Steve spent his entire life in Galesburg as an active member of the local agricultural community, known for his genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for other people’s families, perspectives and lives. While he chose his profession due to a true sense of passion and purpose, he maniacally followed both the weather and the markets and built a successful livestock and row crop operation over many decades which his son continues to grow. Aside from farming, Steve contributed thousands of hours in service through leadership positions at Covenant Church, First Presbyterian Church, and the Knox County Farm Bureau. He was a popular Galesburg Little League coach and patient, sought-after Vacation Bible School volunteer for many years. While Steve enjoyed most sports, he was a devoted Galesburg boys basketball fan, and his family has held the same season tickets for over five decades (to “the best seats in the house,” he believed). Steve found true joy in life’s simple pleasures: donuts and coffee after morning chores, catch or wiffleball with his kids and then grandkids, card games well into the night when his alarm still rang at 4 a.m., a pie shop across the country that reminded him of his grandma’s, and a full rain gauge the morning after an evening shower. He cheered loudly, loved with intensity, and had an astonishing ability to remember people’s names - but his greatest strength was his ability to be fully present, available, and devoted to his family despite the demands and pressures of farm life. Steve is survived by his wife Margaret and his four children: Ellen Davis, Rachel (and Paul) Ryan, Dan (and Mallory) Tolley, and Janice (and Nick) Walters. While he was unabashedly proud of his entire family, the title that generated the most enthusiasm in his last 13 years was “Grandpa;” he was particularly beloved by his twelve grandchildren - Jackson, Connor, Gavin, Lincoln, Matthew, Mya, Tate, Maeve, Elise, Nolan, Quinn and Bennett - and found tremendous joy and purpose in each minute he spent with them. In a final act of selflessness, Steve chose to donate his body to science.

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