Stephen S. La Bash, Jr. was born December 28th, 1942 in New York City, NY to Stephen S. La Bash, Sr. and Margaret M. La Bash. He passed away January 27th, 2020 at his home in Oberlin, KS at the age of 77.
Stephen grew up in Los Angeles, CA, where he attended Loyola Catholic High School, the oldest high school in the state of California. He later attended Santa Clara University and Georgetown University School of Medicine. He served in the United States Army and Air Force during the Vietnam War as a Flight Surgeon. Stephen went on to serve for over 20 years, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Stephen practiced medicine as a general surgeon until he retired in 2003.
Stephen met the love of his life, Judith Christina Scrine of Portsmouth, England, in New York City at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Operating Room # 12, where she was working as a registered nurse. He married Judith on November 15th, 1969 in Nailsea, England. Stephen and Judith went on to raise their three children across the country and the globe, while serving in the United States Army.
While his son was growing up, Stephen volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and at Philmont Boy Scout Camp in New Mexico. He supported and encouraged his two daughters’ interests in art, music, and the outdoors, including taking them on camping trips and encouraging them to work in National Parks during their summer breaks from university. He also took great joy working on his used sailboat, trying to continually plug and stay ahead of the seemingly never-ending stream of holes that plagued the boat. He learned to fly in St. Francis, KS and aviation became one of his great pleasures. He later served in the Civil Air Patrol, during which he served a period of time as the Civil Air Patrol State Surgeon.
He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oberlin, KS and volunteered with TeamMates, in McCook, NE. He also volunteered at free community healthcare clinics. In his retirement, he studied music theory and learned to play the piano and the saxophone, taking regular music classes at McCook and Colby Community Colleges and attending summer music camps. He also played percussion in the community band.
Stephen was an avid history buff, including American, military, and religious history, with a voracious appetite for history books and programs. He also had a long-standing interest in gardening and had been planning to start propagating plants from seed over the winter.
Stephen was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife Judith and his children Stephen (and Miranda) La Bash of Aiea, Hawaii; Heather La Bash of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia; Heidi La Bash of San Francisco, California; and his three granddaughters: Charlotte, Valen and Sabine.
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