Surrounded by loved ones, the Reverend Steven Lynn Harberts passed away peacefully at home in Jefferson, Iowa on April 1, 2019.
Born October 29, 1946, in Waterloo to the Reverend Dick and Enola Harberts, Steven shared his birthday with his best friend and twin brother Stewart Lee Harberts of Essex.
Steven’s education began in the one-room Humke Schoolhouse in Center Township.
Shortly thereafter, the growing Harberts family moved to Steamboat Rock before settling in
Jefferson in 1954. It was at Jefferson Elementary School – in the fourth grade – that Steven met his future, beloved wife Denise Coon. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1964, Tarkio College in 1968, and Dubuque Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity in 1972. In 2006, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Eastern University in St. Davids, PA.
Ordained as a Presbyterian pastor in 1972, Steven began his career in Christian education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Waterloo. He served there for four years before
relocating to Richmond, IN, to assume the position of senior pastor at Reid Memorial
United Presbyterian Church. Relocating to the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, FL, in 1985, Steven began an esteemed career in pastoral care that eventually led him to Wayne Presbyterian Church in Wayne, PA, in 1998.
Retirement in 2012 brought Steven back to Jefferson, where he enjoyed fishing in farm
ponds, smoking salmon, and scootering around the town square in his signature Hawkeyes
gear.
Left to carry on Steven’s legacy are his wife Denise Harberts of Jefferson; son Aaron
Harberts; and son-in-law Scott Director – both of Los Angeles, CA. Additional survivors
include sister-in-law Renae (Stewart) Harberts of Essex, and brothers Sidney (Maxine)
Harberts of Grundy Center, Paul (Lynette) Harberts of Rochester, MN, Craig
(Dorothy) Harberts of San Clemente, CA, and Clark (Julie) Harberts of Cedar Rapids.
Additional cherished sisters-in-law are Marianne (Roger) Carlson, Teresa (Jim) Shahan, and Gina (Tom) Harrington, all of Jefferson. Twenty-seven nieces and nephews will also tend to
“Uncle Steve’s” memory.
Steven was preceded in death by his parents Dick and Enola Harberts, his father and mother-in-law Don and Mary Coon of Jefferson, and his twin brother Stewart Harberts.
A celebration of Steven’s life and his service to the glory of God will be held Friday, April 5, at 11 am at the First Presbyterian Church, with a fellowship luncheon to follow. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of
Jefferson, the Jefferson public library, or the Greene County Early Learning Center.
