I was born on September 14, 1956, as the fourth child in my family, and my parents named me Steven Albert Tuttle. Apparently, I had a bad rash when I was born, and my mom felt embarrassed to introduce me to relatives and friends. Luckily, that passed quickly, and I was soon healthy and active.
I remember my childhood fondly. We lived in Monrovia, a small town in Southern California. My dad worked for a big manufacturing company, and my mom stayed home to take care of us four kids. Our home was comfortable, filled with nice things, and generally full of love and laughter. Of course, as the youngest, my siblings did their best to torment me, but I always tried to get back at them in my own way.
I went to elementary, middle, and high school in Monrovia. When I finally got serious about my future and wanted to go to college, I realized I wasn’t very well prepared. My first year at Citrus Junior College in Azusa included some remedial classes, but I worked through them and earned my Liberal Arts degree. After that, I transferred to Pacific Christian College in Fullerton (now Hope University) and got my Bachelor of Arts. I then went straight to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, where I earned a Master of Divinity in three years. That degree opened the door for me to start my pastoral career and become ordained.
In 1976, after five years of dating, I married my high school sweetheart, Cathy. She was twenty, and I was nineteen, so I used to joke that she was a cougar. We stayed in Monrovia for a while before moving to Moreno Valley, California, where we’ve lived for forty years. We have two sons: Dan, whom we adopted, and Jason, who was born with severe disabilities. Dan gave us three grandsons and a great-grandson.
After I was ordained as an American Baptist pastor, I spent a few years serving at the First Baptist Church of Monrovia. I enjoyed that time, but eventually, I felt ready for a change. In the late 1980s, the denomination asked me to move to Moreno Valley and start a new church, which became Cornerstone Community Church. I led that church for a few years before deciding to leave both the church and the ministry. If you want to know more about my journey from becoming a Christian at seventeen to leaving the ministry, I share the full story in my book, Wednesdays: An Ex-Pastor’s Voyage into Unbelief.
After I left the ministry, I tried working in insurance and finance, but I soon realized I preferred teaching. A neighbor encouraged me to try teaching at the elementary level, and that led to a 30-year career with the Fontana Unified School District. Over the years, I taught third and fourth grade, mentored new teachers, served on many committees at both the school and district level, and filled in as principal when needed. I gained a lot of experience in different areas of education during those thirty years. Teaching can be stressful and challenging, especially these days, but it was a great career for me, and I look back on it fondly.
When I retired from teaching in 2018, I spent a few years working part-time as a Field Supervisor at Cal State University, San Bernardino. In that role, I used the skills I had gained throughout my teaching career to help students complete the fieldwork required to become credentialed teachers.
Since leaving CSUSB, I’ve been enjoying full retirement. My days are filled with writing, gardening, fishing, spending time with Cathy, and relaxing with a good cigar and friends at a local lounge.