Stephen John Ferraro was born on December 23, 1942 at Humboldt General Hospital in Winnemucca, NV to John Ferraro and Ella Kate Wright Ferraro.
He was the youngest of three children; joining his brother Robert and his sister Jean at home on the family ranch in Paradise Valley, NV.
The next 78 years of Stephen’s life would be spent almost entirely on the ranch.
When Stephen was four years old, his mother took him and his siblings on a month-long trip to England to visit his maternal grandparents, traveling by train and boat to get there.
As a child, Stephen developed Rheumatic Fever and spent a good amount of time in hospitals in Reno, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and San Francisco, CA.
Despite his illness, Stephen’s childhood on the ranch brought about his true love of anything and everything cowboy: horses, cows, dogs, and the majestic Santa Rosa Mountains which rise above the family ranch — of which Stephen knew every canyon, creek and ridge like the back of his own hand.
Stephen attended school in Paradise Valley until 8th grade, then as all Paradise kids do, he attended high school in Winnemucca, NV; graduating from Humboldt High School in 1961.
After high school, Stephen attended the University of Nevada Reno for a short time before transferring to Links School of Business in Boise, ID.
It was in Boise that he met a pretty young woman named Mildred Carter. After a short courtship, Stephen and Mildred were married at St John’s Cathedral on April 4, 1964.
The young couple moved back to the family ranch in Paradise Valley and for 57 years they were never apart for more than a day at a time.
Together, they worked on the ranch, raising six children, Peter, Juneen, Jolinda, Philip, Patrick, and Daniel, along with a menagerie of cows, horses, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, and even a few pigs.
Stephen joined the Paradise Valley Volunteer Fire Department in 1966 and served for 41 years before retiring in 2007 after the death of his son Patrick.
Being on the Fire Department meant dropping whatever work he was doing on the ranch at a moment’s notice to race to a fire, and then returning at any hour of the day or night to complete the days ranch work.
Being on the Fire Department also meant that Father’s Day was one of the most important holidays of the year, as the whole family joined in to help with the PV Firemen’s Father’s Day BBQ at the park, where Stephen handled the food line every year.
One of Stephen’s favorite things was visiting with old and new friends, and often complete strangers.
He would talk to anyone; asking who they were and where they were from before regaling them with stories of life on the ranch.
This trait, along with his immense knowledge of cows, made him the perfect fit for the job of Nevada Brand Inspector.
For 40+ years, Stephen served as the Brand Inspector for Paradise Valley and surrounding areas. No matter what chores he had to get done on his own ranch, he made himself available at any time of the day, in any weather, to accommodate his neighbors who needed an inspection.
The job allowed him the opportunity to visit with most everyone in the valley and get to know all the cattle buyers and truck drivers.
Stephen’s love of Paradise history and the old stories were with him to the end; even through the tough days of dementia, he loved to talk about the past and the people he had known.
Among Stephen’s other favorite things were Pepsi, dessert, country music, rhyming words and making up stories with his children and grandchildren — including the infamous “Sally Ghost” who was responsible for any and all unexplainable happenings on the ranch.
Stephen also had an incredible knack for being able to spot a cow miles away on the mountain and know exactly which cow she was; even when no one else could tell there was a cow there.
Stephen was a talented horseman and loved riding, but he was equally comfortable driving a tractor or walking the irrigation ditch.
No matter which task he was doing, there was always a dog following along and often one or more of his kids too.
In later years, as Stephen slowed down on the ranch work, he still was up early and went outside each and every day to feed his dogs, water the cows and horses, and take the trash to the burn barrel.
The highlight of his day these last months were when squirrel hunters or deer hunters, grandchildren, his home health nurses or even delivery drivers would stop at the ranch and visit with him for a few minutes.
Stephen passed away on October 15, 2021 at home in Paradise Valley with his wife by his side.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ella, his siblings Robert Ferraro and Jean Elges, his in-laws Ed and Pauline Carter-Yenne, and his young son Patrick Stephen.
He is survived by his wife Mildred; his children Pete Ferraro and Daniel Ferraro of Paradise Valley; Juneen (Jim) Powers of Central Point, OR; Jolinda (Todd) Warn of Winnemucca, NV; and Philip (Nikki) Ferraro of Clark, NE.
He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren, Amanda, Brett and Gus Ferraro, Heather (Logan) Revak, Jacqueline Hoss, Kristin (Joe) Ackerland, Collin, Tyler and Carter Gregory, Wyatt and Josie Warn, Raegan, Victoria and Genevieve Ferraro, and Willa Ferraro.
He is also survived by several great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law, all of whom held a special spot in Stephen’s heart.
Funeral services will be held at the Paradise Valley Fire House on Friday, October 22, 2021 at 11:00 am with burial to follow at the Paradise Valley Cemetery.
A luncheon will be served at the Paradise Valley Lodge Hall following the services. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Patrick Ferraro Memorial Scholarship, PO Box 343, Winnemucca, NV 89446.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Katie, Ashley and Mia of Genesis Home Health Services and Dr. Adajar for their kind care and humor these last few months; to Pat Shepard for always helping in any way possible; and to all of our family and friends for their love, friendship and prayers during this difficult time.
