Steven James Bostwick

Steven James Bostwick, born on July 18, 1961, in Layfette, IN passed away at his farm on the morning of August 29^th, 2025 at the age of 64.

Son to Etta Bostwick and late Jim Bostwick, Steve was raised with his brother, Dave, on a nature preserve at Mississinewa Lake, IN kickstarting his love of trees and everything nature. In high school, he earned the title of State Tree Identification Champion.

Steve attended the University of Cincinnati where he received his bachelor’s degree and became a licensed architect. Soon after, he founded his own business, The Playwright where he built some of the most impressive custom wooden playgrounds and treehouses. In the same year, he started his second business, Bostwick Forensic Architecture. His passion for his career brought him to the Building Science Symposium in MA, where he gathered with his colleagues every summer for 23 years, even up to his final weeks.

Together with his wife, Cynthia, he raised 4 children, Ariana, Vaughn, Natasha, and Vera, in the wonderful neighborhood of Wyoming, OH. Once their children had grown up, Steve and Cynthia established Urban Rock Farm in Colerain, OH. His love of plants and animals flourished with the care of a large diverse garden, alpacas, and chickens. The farm became a great place for his children, his grandson, Silas, and future grandchildren to immerse themselves in nature.

In his middle years, he renewed his childhood love of rocketry and rocks. Steve, tagged along by his children, regularly shot off model rockets, and earned a high-powered model rocketry certification from the National Association of Rocketry. For the last 20+ years with his wife, he attended and then became an instructor at William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Young Harris, GA where his creativity continued.

Steve was a quiet, gentle soul who will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

Steve’s formal Scattering of Ashes will take place on Saturday September 13^th, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Urban Rock Farm (8571 Pippin Rd) followed by his Celebration of Life.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests you plant a tree, search for a pretty rock, or launch a rocket in his memory.