Stev Harvey Ominski, 74,
of Rhododendron, passed on Sunday, May 24, 2026. He died in Providence Hospital
in Portland, Oregon from complications from a stroke. The large window in the 8th floor hospital room had a wonderful view of his beloved Mount Hood.
Stev was born in Portland,
Oregon on January 5, 1952, to Doris and Harry Ominski. He attended Parkrose
High School in Portland where he participated in track and field and developed
his artistic skills.
He married Mary Finnegan
in 1985 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They shared their home with numerous Siamese
cats and lived in Portland, Salem, Corvallis, Lawrence, KS and most recently
the foothills of the Cascades.
He is survived by his only
brother, Mitch (Sheri), nephews Adam (Martina) and Matt (Wataya), great nephews,
and numerous cousins. In addition, he was welcomed into the large Finnegan clan
spanning 5 states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Oregon.
Primarily self-taught, he
began his professional career in the fine arts in 1970 with emphasis on
intimate landscapes and other subjects from the natural world. He worked in the
mediums of pencil drawing, watercolor, acrylic, and oils. He showed in numerous
exhibitions in galleries and museums and was included in group exhibits at the Portland
Art Museum as well as OSU’s Art about Agriculture and Seeing the Forest. He was
especially proud of his work at the Salem Public Library, Salem Pediatric
Clinic, Salem Cardiology Clinic, Albany Hospital and Louisiana Pacific.
Stev wrote and illustrated
“Nature Notes” a weekly nature column for the Salem Statesman Journal. He
taught watercolor at Chemeketa Community College.
He created illustrations
regarding the Missoula Ice Age Floods that have been included in numerous
publications from the Oregonian to the New York Times. A traveling collection
of his Ice Age Floods work was exhibited at the U of O Museum of Natural and
Cultural History (Eugene), the Columbia River Exhibition of History Science and
Technology (Richland, WA) and The Discovery Center (The Dalles).
Painting to Stev was like
breathing. Just something he did daily.
Stev enjoyed exploring the
outdoors, especially creeks and streams and casting one of his hand tied flies
for trout in coastal streams. Cooking was another art to which Stev acquired
the requisite skills to serve tasty and filling meals. One hand held a glass of
wine while the other stirred the pot.
Music was a big part of
his life. Especially the Beatles, and specifically George Harrison for his
introspective qualities.
Donations
If you like, make
donations in his memory to the Ice Age Floods Institute:
IAFI
c/o Monte Nail
1880 Fowler St.
Richland, WA 99352