Stephen M. Hotchkiss

Stephen M. Hotchkiss, 72, of Middle Reservation Road, Castile, passed away at the Wyoming County Skilled Nursing Facility in Warsaw on August 25, 2022, following a lengthy battle with a debilitating illness. Steve was born in Warsaw, N.Y. on January 25, 1950 to the late Richard and Marion (Lutz) Hotchkiss. He grew up on the family farm on the Middle Reservation Road and graduated from Perry Central School in 1968, earning the class Math Cup honor.
Steve enlisted in the Army following high school, serving with the ASA (Army Security Agency) in both Turkey and at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. He attended SUNY Geneseo following his military service. Steve began his carpentry endeavors rehabbing fast food restaurants on the East coast, before launching his own contracting operation headquartered in Maryland. His client list included names in nearby Washington D.C., as well as Connecticut, West Virginia, Seattle, Washington, New York and elsewhere. He took great pride in being referred to as, “The Contractor from Hell” in a column penned by one of those clients. His adventurous spirit led Steve to try sky diving. He helped to repair, then fly a derelict twin engine DC-3 aircraft from Haiti back to a friend’s airport based repair shop in Florida. He also participated in numerous Marine Corps marathons in Washington D.C. to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital. In more recent years, he attempted a long planned cross country off-road motorcycle adventure with a friend. That trip would end after only a thousand miles had been completed, when early stages of his health issues made it impossible for him to continue.
Should we all somehow be made privy to Steve’s comments on his passing, we might well hear him say, “It is what it is.”
Thanks to Steve’s Middle Reservation Road neighbors- Jeff and Suzie Carlson, John and Jennifer Hatch, Alan Gregg and Tom Swyers. Also a great debt of gratitude to Meals on Wheels, the Wyoming County Veteran’s office, the staff of WCCH, SNF, Eastside Nursing Home, Castile Ambulance volunteers (with special thanks to Sarah Ballinger) and the Town of Perry Ambulance crew. God Bless.
Services will be private.
Stephen will be laid to rest in the Middle Reservation Road Cemetery in Castile.