Steven A. Kochones

The Reverend Steven A. Kochones, age 85, passed away on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. He died of natural causes with his family by his side. Steven was born to Peter and Dinah on January 31, 1931 in New York City. At the age of 11, he became a professional actor and toured with a theater company, performing across the U.S. during the 1940's, including a 1947 stint in Hollywood. In 1951, he enlisted in the United States Army, serving his country during the Korean War. Although Steven enlisted as an entertainer, he soon saw action on the 38th parallel, which formed the border between North and South Korea. He was injured in an explosion, rescued by fellow infantrymen, and spent the rest of his two-year service stationed in Japan. Upon returning to New York, he resumed his acting career under a stage name, appearing on stage and in live television on WPIX-TV. At the age of 25, he had a religious experience that profoundly altered the course of his life.

Leaving acting behind, Steven was ordained in 1957 as an Assemblies of God minister. He worked as an evangelist, preaching in churches nationwide for nine years. During that period, he founded a church in Germantown, Philadelphia, and later established the Church of God in Jesus Christ in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in 1964. While a pastor of his own congregation, he met and married Mirta Pagán in 1965. He was invited to begin a church in California in 1969 and moved cross-country with his family, now with a two-year old son, and re-established the Brooklyn church in Pasadena, where it flourished. A daughter became the newest family member in 1971.

In the early 1980's, and over the course of a decade, Steven's independent church evolved from a house of Protestant faith into one of liturgical worship, based on Eastern Orthodox principles. It became the American Orthodox Catholic Church, Parish of St. John the Apostle, in 1989, where Steven presided as pastor and Bishop for the rest of his life.

During his 60-year career as a spiritual leader, Steven touched the lives of thousands of people, helping countless through times of personal crisis. He authored books and periodicals, published religious literature, and built a missionary church in Mexico. He will always be remembered as "Father Steve," an innovative spirit who loved people, loved to joke, and was a selfless ambassador of God's love and will.

Steven is survived by his wife, Mirta, his son, Steven, his daughter, Diane, his sister, Tessie, as well as five grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 10:00 am at the American Orthodox Catholic Church, Parish of St. John the Apostle, 810 E. Walnut Street, Pasadena.

Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Glendale, California.