Stephen Knowlton Ferrier passed away on December 19 after a long illness. He was born in San Francisco, California on August 29, 1946 to Philip K. Ferrier and Esther Christopher Ferrier. He was the first of four sons. His family soon relocated to Berkeley, California where he spent his childhood.
He attended Berkeley public schools (Emerson Elementary, Willard Junior High and Berkeley High), graduating in 1964. Childhood summers were spent at the family cabin in Dutch Flat, CA, swimming in the community pool and fishing with his paternal grandfather, William Warren Ferrier, Jr.
After attending a year of college, he enlisted in the Army Intelligence Corps, stationed in Stuttgart, West Germany until his discharge. After overcoming significant health issues, he graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1980 and relocated to Lawrence, Kansas. He worked as an analyst for the State of Kansas Department of Children and Families for more than 40 years, only recently retiring from that position.
He maintained a variety of passions in his life, including politics, literature, writing, and especially sports, including soccer, track and field, football, basketball, and the Tour de France. As a teen and young adult, he enjoyed the outdoors, particularly hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas and in the San Francisco Bay Area. In later life, he especially enjoyed reading mysteries and completing crossword puzzles.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Douglas Ferrier. He is survived by his children, Evan Ferrier (Kristin Feierabend) of Durham, North Carolina and Emily Moser (Todd) of Seattle, Washington; his two grandchildren, Asa Ferrier and Gabe Ferrier; and two brothers, Alan Ferrier of Tucson, Arizona and David Ferrier of Portland, Oregon.
No services are planned. Donations in his honor may be made to one of the following organizations to which he generously donated: Doctors Without Borders, Just Food of Douglas County, or Harvesters Community Food Network.
Until Steve retired in 2025, I had the privilege of working with him 24 years. His kindness, professional ethics, expertise, & knowledge were outstanding & consistent! He always remembered my Grandchildren’s names & frequently asked for updates on their lives. He left a legacy of love for family & others as well as a culture of honor, respect, & integrity for us all to follow. Steve will always be greatly missed! Please accept my heartfelt thoughts & prayers to all his precious family & loved ones!
To Steve’s family–
We’re sorry we were informed only today of Steve’s passing. He was our neighbor across the street. He was a very kind man and a lovely neighbor and we’re glad we got to know him. We’re saddened to hear he passed away and share our condolences and sympathy for your loss. Much love from the Reed Family.
We worked with Steve for a number of years – he was a good person – always helpful and supportive! I will always remember when Steve M. and I got married and there was a shower for us in the office – Steve personally went to JCP and checked our registry and chose something to give us – it was very thoughtful of him. Steve M. appreciated his management of Fantasy Football for over 20 years and what a great job he did. Also, Steve would share pictures of his grandchildren via e-mail and this showed a personal side to him that I had not thought about while working with him. We are glad to have known Steve both on a professional level and personal level. Thoughts, prayers and blessings to his family. He will be missed.
Sending my sincere condolences to the Ferrier family- Steve and I worked together for the State of Kansas where he was known for his expert knowledge and dedication. He will surely be missed.
I worked with Steve at SRS/DCF, where we both focused on the child care assistance program. Steve was very knowledgeable and passionate about the program. He was always very kind to me and always very helpful. He went out of his way to help everyone that he worked with in any way that he was able to. I will miss him very much.
I am so sorry to hear of Steve’s passing. I worked with him in a variety of instances and always enjoyed visiting with him as his enthusiasm for the work was always evident. He was such a good guy.
I worked with Steve for 18 years at Kansas DCF. Steve always remembered my son’s name and would frequently ask about my son and family. Steve was a person you can’t forget, in the best way. Steve always made you feel like he knew you and was truly interested in your life. It has been an honor to know Steve.
My deepest condolences to the family.
I had the pleasure of working with Steve for just 4 of his 40 years at DCF. Steve was a genius; He knew everything about anything. He would love to talk my ear off, and I will miss that dearly. His passion for helping children and families was unmatched.
Steve is our daughter’s father-in-law. We were able to meet him in Lawrence on a trip before he became a father-in-law. We enjoyed the visit very much and had the pleasure of phone conversation times after that. Steve was unable to travel to visit his two grandsons–they visited Lawrence and he had time with them many times–they are 5 and 2. Steve amazed me with the great gift choices that he made for them–fun, interactive toys, age appropriate and just great choices. Definitely tuned into who they are and what they would enjoy. I know he was sorry not to have been able to spend more time with them and with son Evan and daughter Emily. We wish we had had a longer time to get to know him better too. For anyone reading this from his work, we heard about the retirement party that was perfect for celebrating his career. Thank y’all for that!
To the Family:
I work many years with Steve. The first time was a project in 1990. It hard to describe how much he contributed and how much he enjoyed helping everyone by sharing all his expertise on the systems and data we used in our jobs. You knew you could go to him for help anytime and he never made you feel you were being an annoyance!
As a friend Steve asked about your family and how you were doing and when I had some issues, he checked in with me, which I appreciated so much.
I’ll always think of Steve when I think of my career at SRS. Why do we put off telling people how great they are before we lose them? Steve was a great co-worker and he seemed happiest when he was helping people out.
My thoughts are with you. Blessings to you.
I had the great pleasure of working with Steve closely for many years at SRS. Steve was a brilliant man, and had more passion -the entire time- than anyone I’ve Ever worked around. He is missed.