Steven Craig DeAlmeida

Dr. Steven Craig DeAlmeida of Chapel Hill, NC entered eternal rest on July 25, 2026 after a brief hospitalization. Born on June 24, 1945 in Joplin, MO alongside his identical twin Victor, he grew up in rural southwestern Missouri, attending a one-room schoolhouse and Neosho High School and joining his grandfather preaching at local Baptist churches. After studying religion and philosophy at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, he earned his M.Div. degree at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. Three life-changing events occurred during his years in Louisville: he walked away from a high-speed head-on collision when driving home to Missouri; he met and married his wife Elaine, with whom he had two children, Anna and Craig; and he discovered his calling in ministering to individuals in crisis rather than in pastoring a church.

As a pastoral intern during his seminary training, Steven came into contact with the community of Jane Street in Louisville, a community of black residents without adequate housing or access to medical care. With the help of others in his church, he rebuilt houses and started a free health clinic. After this experience, Steven chose to serve God through compassionate ministry to thousands of individuals in crisis through a series of roles building on one another. He became trained in alcohol and drug counseling and helped open adult rehabilitation centers across the Midwest, also living in Portsmouth, OH and Wichita, KS. After earning his first doctorate in public health from the University of Texas, he founded a rehabilitation center in Houston, TX and practiced as a licensed therapist. His second doctorate from the University of Houston led to his opening an individual psychological practice, often receiving referrals of patients whom other psychologists found challenging. He worked fervently, despite often being in physical pain stemming from the car accident in early adulthood, and strongly believed that spirituality is a vital component to understanding and treating mental health conditions.

Steven’s last fifteen years were difficult but at times still joyful as he dealt with a series of mental and physical health ailments, including bipolar disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and the onset of dementia. After moving to Chapel Hill to be closer to Craig’s family, he renewed his vows with Elaine at Duke Chapel only months before spending five years at various hospitals and nursing homes, including Brookshire in Hillsborough, NC. He became stable enough to live at home with Elaine and Anna for most of his last two years before succumbing to the dementia that led to his death.

He is survived by his twin brother Victor James DeAlmeida, his wife Sarah Elaine (Allison) DeAlmeida, his children Anna Maria (DeAlmeida) Rodriguez and Arthur Craig DeAlmeida, his daughter-in-law Katherine Touw DeAlmeida, his grandchildren Anson Rodriguez, Jay DeAlmeida, and Calliope DeAlmeida, and his great-grandchild Oscar Rodriguez.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Congregation of Duke Chapel.