Steve Nikes, 82, St. Joseph, Missouri; passed away peacefully from his earthly home to be joined with the Lord on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.
Steve was born on October 17, 1943, in East Chicago, Indiana, the third of four sons, born to the late James K. and LaVaughn (Batman) Nikes. As a Greek immigrant arriving in New York City in the early twentieth century, Steve’s father migrated westward until the family finally established roots in St. Joseph, Missouri, where Steve lived the remainder of his life; eventually gaining his prized nickname, “Greek,” used by family and friends alike. As the son of an immigrant trying to achieve success in a new country, Steve learned the value of toil, sweat and hard work early in life, working at his father’s restaurant, Sanitary Lunch.
Steve was a 1961 graduate of Central High School, lettering in sports eleven times as a student-athlete. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri in 1965, going on to earn his MBA in 1967 also at MU.Steve married Gloria Valencia on April 4, 1970. Together they raised their three children who were their pride and joy and remained lifelong partners until Gloria's passing on December 26, 2025.
Mr. Nikes was a wonderful provider for his family and possessed an incredible work ethic, dedicating over 28 years of service to Konica Minolta Business Solutions as a Business Technology Consultant. Prior to Konica, he worked at Modern Business Systems, Eder Real Estate Agency, and as a dearly loved and respected teacher, counselor, and assistant football coach at Lafayette High School. Steve carried his sense of duty beyond family, choosing to serve his community as a St. Joe city councilman in the late 1970s and early eighties. As a testament to his legacy, his family has received numerous stories, anecdotes and words of wisdom that demonstrated his sharp mindedness, quick wit, and exceptional storytelling abilities. That said, perhaps most important, Steve was counted by many as a trusted and dependable friend and advisor that may have presented a tough and stoic exterior shell, but, in actuality, was a warm, kindhearted, and exceptional man.
Steve was an athlete and avid sports fan throughout his life. He was a talented baseball player gaining major league interest and offers after high school, instead deciding to accept a baseball scholarship to play baseball for the MU Tigers until injury ended his pitching career. Later in life, Steve took great enjoyment making his annual MU football trip to Columbia, joining fellow fraternity brothers and friends for a weekend of fun, remembrance, and camaraderie. He loved watching sporting events of all types, above all cherishing the opportunity to coach his children’s teams and watch his grandchildren play sports, pridefully sharing their many accolades, awards and achievements with family and friends.Family was of utmost importance to Steve. As family patriarch, he was a constant presence in his children's lives. He especially enjoyed traveling, family vacations and making precious memories together. As a grandparent, Steve found a renewed sense of purpose in life, instilling within his grandchildren core principles such as integrity, authenticity, gratitude, respect for parents, teachers, and other authority figures. These core principles were to be employed in combination with an unwavering commitment to hard work and a dedication to the lifelong learning process (G-Pop’s Code of Conduct).
Updates on current grades, test scores and game performances became an unspoken weekly expectation to be provided by Kamden and Jordan. Always eager to share their exceptional results or recognition for stellar performance with G-Pop, it became an equally relished opportunity for G-Pop to reinstill within his grandkids a continued commitment to hard work, never allowing themselves to become satisfied with giving anything less than a one hundred percent effort or allowing success to breed complacency.
In addition to Gloria and his parents, Steve was also preceded in death by three brothers, Jim, Bill (Shirley), and Mike Nikes.
Steve is survived by his three children, Steve Nikes II, Darcy Nikes and Lanie Nikes-Massenburg (Tony); grandsons, Kamden Brown and Jordan Massenburg; nieces and nephews, Cathy Jones (Tom), Greg Nikes (Kristi) and Kevin Nikes (Norma), Tami Hagen (Jeff); brother and sister in-laws, Kathy Ziolkowski (Gary), Richard Valencia (Trish) and Lynn McMillian (Jim), and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 AM Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.
Visitation begins at 9:00 AM on Friday, April 17 at Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel, where a Rosary will be held at 6:00 PM. The family will receive friends following the Rosary until 8:30 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial donations to Pony Express Baseball in Steve's memory.
