Steven Eugene Courtney

Steven Eugene Courtney born in 1957 at Springfield, Illinois to Harry Lee Courtney Sr. and Margaret Rose Bineham Courtney. Steve graduated in 1975 from Lanphier High School at Springfield, Illinois and attended Illinois Wesleyan University before completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987 at Columbia College of Chicago where he studied Film and Screenplay. Steve was an amateur screenwriter and wrote the screenplay "This America "which was registered with the Writer's Guild of America but had not yet made it to the silver screen. His military career began as an intelligence specialist with the Illinois Air National Guard and he completed intelligence analyst training at Lowry Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado. A sense of adventure and a heeded call to duty compelled Steve to enlist in the United States Army. After completing basic training, infantry and airborne schools, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell Kentucky as a Second Lieutenant. He often insisted that Fort Campbell was actually located in Tennessee rather than Kentucky. By the time he made his Captain rank, Steve had affiliated with the Special Forces branch of the U.S. Army. After completing Special Forces phase training, he proudly wore his green beret the remainder of his military career and had served as an instructor for phase training of newly selected Green Berets. He graduated from the Army General Command and Staff College in 1994. His assignments that can be mentioned publicly included service as Special Forces Historian with deployments to Bosnia and to various parts of the Middle East. Steve settled in south central Florida after his assignment to the Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Steve retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel. Steve's civilian career was as a software developer and a computer programmer. He worked as a contractor for government and private entities throughout the eastern and southern United States until he landed his dream job as an I T Systems Programming Administrator for the Florida Attorney General in Tallahassee. Steve was a family-oriented man and he gleaned much joy from his relationship with his friend Lucky, a Jack Russell and poodle mix who has never grown up. Steve was well known, and appreciated, for his sharp wit and sarcastic humor. His interests ranged from film Noir to battle reenactments and included organizing a video library, collecting books, classical music appreciation, writing, and he was an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Steve was preceded in death by his mother Margaret of Taylorville, Illinois and his late wife My Hue of Land O' Lakes, Florida. He is survived by his current wife Sompis of Tallahassee, Florida; father Harry Sr. of Springfield, Illinois; brother Harry Jr. of Savannah, Georgia; sister Cherie of Standard City, Illinois; brother Kevin of Columbus, Ohio; stepdaughter My Lee Neidlein of Dade City, Florida; stepson Robert Do of Tacoma, Washington; and step grandson Ajee Carr of Dade City, Florida. A celebration of life service will be held at Eastview Baptist Church, 2277 East Black Ave., Springfield, Illinois from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM on Friday, May 24, 2019. Interment will follow at 2:00 PM in Camp Butler VA National Cemetery, 5063 Camp Butler Rd., Springfield, Illinois with full military honors. Breanna Green of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the Courtney family with their arrangements. (850-385-2193 www.bevisfh.com)

Tributes

Steven Eugene Courtney

February 2, 1957 - March 25, 2019