WHEREAS, Stephen Roy Lindstrom was born in Pendleton, Oregon, on May 20, 1946; and

WHEREAS, Stephen grew up in Ione, Oregon, becoming the fourth generation of Swedish homesteaders; and

WHEREAS, He started his schooling career attending schools throughout Ione, Oregon; and

WHEREAS, Stephen had always been an overachiever, participating in sports, student government, music, and community affairs while in high school; and

WHEREAS, Stephen started college at Pacific Lutheran University and ultimately graduated from Eastern Oregon College; and

WHEREAS, After college, Stephen enlisted in the U.S. Navy Seabees; and

WHEREAS, He served several tours of duty in Vietnam and Antarctica; and

WHEREAS, During his military service Stephen was awarded many honors and medals for his service, most notably the Navy Achievement Medal for Community Service; and

WHEREAS, After his service he worked as the manager of the Port of Marrow; and

WHEREAS, Stephen's start in politics came when he worked as the Vice President of Pacific Northwest Waterways, where he was an advocate for trade and economic development of the Northwest; and

WHEREAS, To continue in politics, Stephen worked as a contract lobbyist and lobbied in Olympia for over 40 years; and

WHEREAS, During this 40 years, Stephen lobbied for many different clients, ranging from transportation to health care, higher education, special districts, business associations, and more; and

WHEREAS, Over the 40 years, he collected many obscure trivia facts, so he always had a "Did you know…" for everything; and

WHEREAS, Stephen was selected as a contract lobbyist in 1991 to help the Washington Student Lobby; and

WHEREAS, Stephen was hired by Brendan Williams, who still to this day does not regret the decision, stating, "Steve was a character, one-of-a-kind. I never regretted choosing him for that special role," and Stephen mentored dozens of lobbyists in his four-decade career; and

WHEREAS, Stephen also created the Wednesday Night Study Group, a group of health care professionals, advocates, regulators, and legislators, which he was passionate about and even scouted out the venues, and chose the food, drink, and guests for years and years, making sure that the group's week was up to his own epic sense of standards; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, Stephen collected many pieces of historical art, as he was committed to historical preservation; and

WHEREAS, Stephen served on the Washington State Capital Facilities Committee, serving the State Capitol and the State of Washington with a commitment to art and historic preservation; and

WHEREAS, Stephen truly was a man who believed one should live a life of showing kindness to all and enhancing the lives of those you meet;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate of the state of Washington recognize and commemorate Stephen Roy Lindstrom on his outstanding service and consideration to everyone.