Dr. Steven Nourse | 1948-2026

In Loving Memory Of Dr. Steven W. Nourse | April 30, 1948 — February 2, 2026

Steve Nourse, loving husband, father, professor, author, and radio show host, passed away suddenly on his beloved Vashon Island on February 2nd, 2026. He was 77 years old.

Steve was born and grew up in Ellensburg, Washington. He went to college at Central Washington University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. He then moved to Seattle to teach at Woodside, a school focused on Special Education. There, he met fellow teacher Barbara Oberg. They were married in June 1971.

On their honeymoon, Steve fell ill with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disorder caused by a viral infection in his spine, which left him paralyzed. After undergoing six months of rehab in the hospital, he left in a wheelchair, determined to carry on uninhibited by his circumstances. He continued his academic career teaching elementary, middle, and high school.

In his words, “Many times, persons with disabilities are defined in life by what they ‘cannot’ do. I believe, as a person with a disability, that persons with disabilities should instead be defined by what they ‘can’ do!”

He continued his own education, now focused on specializing in physical disabilities. He earned a Master’s of Social Work and a Doctorate in Special Education from the University of Washington.

He was an adopted child, so he and Barbara decided to adopt two girls from South Korea. The family moved to Auburn, Washington, and lived there for 13 years. In 1985, they all took the ferry to live in an accessible home their best friends had built for them on Vashon Island with beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains.

Steve went on to teach undergraduate and graduate special education courses for the University of Washington, Central Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University, and Seattle University. He became a top consultant for over 75 school districts, HR, and Facilities Departments regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act. He worked as an Equal Opportunity Specialist with the U. S. Department of Education, where he investigated race, sex, age, sexual harassment, and disability discrimination cases, as well as provided training to administrators regarding these issues. He taught at the Washington State Correction Center for women in Purdy, Washington.

On Vashon, his volunteer activities included a weekly radio show on the Voice of Vashon, KVSH 109.1 FM. His online streaming shows featured a series on service dogs, online learning, learning disabilities, dementia, and a three-part series on the war in Vietnam, where he interviewed over 50 Vietnam veterans.

Steve was a lover of music and the arts, and was an enthusiastic donor to the Vashon Center for the Arts. Here is the link to Steve’s radio archive: voiceofvashon. org/hosts/steve-nourse.

Steve is survived by his wife Barbara, daughters Lisa and Jenn Lee, son-in-law Lucas Heart and his wife Lubna Farooq, grandchildren Juni and Zara, and brothers Randy and Dan.

He will be remembered as an extremely kind and generous man with a fantastic sense of humor, a dog lover who loved a good chat or debate, and an inspiring intellectual who never allowed his physical limitations to get in the way of his desire to educate and help people while living an incredible life with his loved ones on Vashon Island.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 15, at Vashon Center for the Arts.