Steven Wayne Wells
Attorney Steven Wayne Wells passed away in Pontiac surrounded by many friends and family on October 12.
Wells was born on September 8, 1960 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida to Wayne and Shirley Wells. They were joined by younger brother Todd and lived in Minnesota and New York before moving to Rochester, Michigan. Wells and his oldest friend, Bryan Monaghan, graduated from Rochester High School in 1978 and attended Michigan State University together.
While at MSU, Wells met Lisa Stieler at Capitol Villa apartments. They married in 1983 and enjoyed 36 loving years together. They had three children: Robert (born 1988), James (born 1991), and Jessica (born 1995). They were lucky to welcome Emily Rheaume into their family in 2016 and eagerly await the birth of James and Emily's son, Finnian Steven Wells. Wells and Lisa also spoiled two dogs, Opus (died 2018) and Guinness, and two grand-dogs, Seamus and Shiloh. None of the family will ever be able to watch M.A.S.H. or Hogan's Heroes without thinking of him.
Wells followed the example set by his father, Wayne, and pursued a career in law that spanned four decades. He received his B.A. from MSU in 1982 and his law degree from Detroit College of Law in 1985. He served as an assistant prosecutor for Oakland County before moving into private practice, where he specialized in telecommunications law. He was proud of his role in the development and proliferation of cellular phone, cable television, and wifi services throughout the Midwest. He was a principal shareholder of Schnelz Wells PC in Birmingham with his brother, Todd, and longtime friend, Kurt E. Schnelz.
Wells' other, overlapping passions in life were his Christian faith, pedagogy, and philanthropy. An active member of Birmingham First United Methodist Church, he was a Stephen Minister and member of the Board of Trustees. He taught Sunday School for over 20 years (the last 15 at the 5th grade level) and loved introducing his kids to the Apostle's Creed and Psalm 23 in particular. Although Wells assisted with many youth teams in different sports, baseball was always his favorite. He coached and sponsored Birmingham Little League and travel baseball teams for almost a decade. An immense number of individuals and organizations benefitted from his generosity, but he was a lifetime donor to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Compassion International, South Oakland Shelter, Michigan State University, and the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute.
After living and raising their children in Bloomfield Village for 26 years, Wells and Lisa had just moved to Watkins Lake in summer 2019. Wells loved to fish and watch the sunset with Lisa and Guinness. The swans are probably happy to be rid of him, but his family misses him very much.
A memorial service took place Wednesday at Birmingham First United Methodist Church. Memorials may be sent to South Oakland Shelter/Lighthouse 46156 Woodward Ave., Pontiac, 48342; or Birmingham First United Methodist Church/Mission 1589 W Maple Rd., Birmingham, 48009.
Published: Fri, Oct 18, 2019
