Stephen John Ensley

Stephen “Steve” John Ensley, of Milton, FL, passed from this earth on April 25, 2024, just days before his 75th birthday, after succumbing to the effects of a series of strokes.

Steve was preceded in death by his son, Gregory Stephen Ensley and parents John and Thelma Ensley.

The first of nine children, Steve was born at home in Sand Lake, in Kent County, MI, on Mother’s Day, May 8, 1949, to John Arthur Ensley and Thelma “Toni” Ann Brancheau. His memory will live on in the hearts of his family: wife Jeanne Ann; daughter Lori (Adam); son Andrew (Bernadette); siblings Christine (Timothy), Patrick (Pamela), Michael (Deborah), Mary, Danette (Jerrold), Jonelle (Christopher), Toni, and John (Kathy); grandchildren Ava, Logan, Benjamin, Leila, Anna, Peter, Emily, and Thomas; several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.

Steve’s early childhood on the historic family farm combined with many years in a 1-room schoolhouse taught him the value of hard work and cultivated his love of reading and history. After high school graduation at West Catholic High in Grand Rapids, MI, where he enjoyed playing his dad’s old trombone in the jazz and marching bands, he attended Grand Valley State College in Allendale, MI. There he met his future wife, Jeanne Ann Simmer. Their first date was on April 6, 1968, and they were married on July 31,1971, in Walled Lake, MI. 

While attending college, Steve started out as a bagger at Meijer, Inc., in Grand Rapids, MI, and worked his way up to Director of Telecommunications. He then spent time as a director at L.G.Cook Distributor, co-founder/co-owner of Michigan Telephone Systems, and inventor/founder of NAVCO, a moving map display (precursor to GPS) for airplanes. His invention received FAA approval and was installed in and aided flight in over a dozen airplanes across the nation. This invention also won the State of Michigan “Governor’s New Product of the Year” Award in 1988.

During his time as a Systems Analyst for Gordon Food Services in Grand Rapids, MI, Steve returned to college earning Valedictorian and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Leadership from Cornerstone University in 1996 before accepting a dream ministry position as the “computer guy” with Dr. Don Wildmon at the American Family Association (AFA) in Tupelo, MS. In this new adventure, Steve also enjoyed having his own weekend “show” on WAFR (American Family Radio, the radio division), and the opportunity to start American Family Online (AFO), the filtered internet division. This latest endeavor ultimately led to his family’s move to Niceville, Florida where Steve and Jeanne became at home with their Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church family and were an active and integral part of their church and local/diocesan-wide Prayer Group music ministries. Steve had a strong desire to be “a servant of the servants” and before retiring and moving to Milton, FL, used his time to assist ministries such as American Decency Association, Timothy Plan, Faith2Action, the Florida Family Association, as well as many small ministries unable to afford their own Information Technology (IT) Departments.

Steve’s insatiable thirst for learning always kept him trying to figure out how things worked and how he could make them work better. Steve built his first computer and taught himself how to program it. He also taught himself how to play the guitar and found great joy in playing and singing praise & worship music. His love for all things electronic and flying motivated him to become a ham radio operator, a private pilot, an aviation inventor, and an avid air show attendee. Steve was a dedicated softball player with “a rifle arm” and he loved any movie with John Wayne in it. He was a loving and compassionate husband and father to his three children, and a friend to everyone he met! In true Ensley style, he could talk to anyone, anywhere, about anything, with or without prior knowledge!

Steve will be honored at a Funeral Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Niceville, Florida on Thursday, May 2, 2024 with Visitation at 10:00am, Funeral Mass at 11:00am, and Reception to follow. Internment will take place at a later date in Ada, MI. Steve’s family and friends hope that those who knew and loved him will come join in this celebration of his life!

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Steve are invited to contribute to his casket floral arrangement (Venmo: @loriubow) or make a donation in his name to the Ladies Sodality at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 1200 Valparaiso Blvd, Niceville, FL 32578.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stephen John Ensley, please visit our floral store.