Stephen Paul Naught

Stephen Paul Naught went to be with his Lord on May 23, 2024, when he died unexpectedly and peacefully in his Bickleton home. Stephen was born June 16, 1945, in Yakima, Washington, to Harold and Vernice Naught.  He was raised attending school in Bickleton, Washington, and graduated in 1963.  It was while he was in junior high school that he attended Camp Ghormley and accepted Jesus as Savior, which influenced him for the rest of his life. Following high school graduation, he attended Yakima Valley College.  He then attended, and received his BA degree from Washington State University.  During his first year at YVC in 1963, he met and began dating Judy Lanzendorfer of Sunnyside, Washington. They married in January 1966 while they were both students at WSU.  He was a member of Army ROTC while at WSU, so when he graduated in February 1968, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army.  Their daughter, Kim, was born that February, and in May 1968, he, his wife and daughter traveled to Augusta, Georgia, where he reported for 6 weeks of Signal Officer training.   Following that training, he was sent to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, for 9 weeks of additional training.  At its conclusion, he was sent to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, for his first duty station.  In May of 1969, he received orders for Vietnam as the Signal Officer for an Infantry Battalion.  He, Judy and Kim traveled back to Sunnyside where Judy and Kim lived while he was in Vietnam.  He was shot while in combat in September 1969, earning him a Purple Heart and Bronz Star for valor.  He was evacuated to a hospital in Japan to recover.  He was sent back to the States in October 1969 and was assigned to Fort Lewis where the family lived until May 1970 when he was promoted to Captain.  He was then assigned as the Garrison Commander of the Yakima Firing Center. The family settled in Yakima.  Son, Kevin, was born and completed the family in October 1970.  In 1974, Stephen joined his father and brother on the farm in Bickleton and they formed Naught Ranches.  The young family moved to the farm near Bickleton that year and Stephen would live on his farm until his death.  Stephen farmed raising wheat, feed barley, and cattle until his retirement in 2023. Stephen was president of Washington Association of Wheat Growers in 1980 and made many trips to Washington, DC, and a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, lobbying for the wheat industry.  In 1989, he was elected National Barley Growers Association President and continued lobbying for the nation’s barley industry.  He was a lifelong member of the Bickleton Evangelical Presbyterian Church, serving several terms as an Elder, and teaching Sunday School.  He was a member of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers. He was a discussion leader in Yakima’s Bible Study Fellowship for many years. He was a lifetime member of the lower valley Veterans of Foreign Wars.  Stephen was a loyal friend, a passionate farmer and a patriot.  But his favorite cause was his family. He and his wife, Judy, were true soulmates, and his children, grandchildren and great-grandson were his world.  He was very fond of his friends, relatives and community.  He mentored many young farmers and Christians.  He was generous to a fault, and fun-loving. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Judy, their daughter, Kim, and her husband, David, and their children (Katelynn Clinton, Peter and wife, Cigne Clinton, and great-grandson, Miller Clinton) and their son, Kevin Naught, and wife, Kathy, and their children (Keith, Charlie and Ian Naught). He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Terry, as well as his beloved dog, Buddy.  He was truly a gift from the Lord.  Viewing and visitation will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Smith Funeral Home, Sunnyside, WA.  Family inurnment will be in the Bickleton I.O.O.F. Cemetery.   Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Bickleton Evangelical Church in Bickleton, WA. with Military Honors. Those desiring to contribute memorials are asked to do so to the Alder Creek Pioneer Association or the Bickleton Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Those wishing to sign Stephen's online memorial book may do so at www.funeralhomesmith.com   Smith Funeral Home is in care of arrangement. 

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