After what will be a 45-season career that has spanned six decades (1970s-2020s), baseball umpire Tim Stevens has chosen to spend his final two seasons on a unique farewell tour. In the Spring of 2022 he will wrap up nearly forty years of service to the high school game in the state of Washington by working an assignment for each of the state’s 22 baseball associations.
The following year Tim and his wife Debbie will embark upon a four-month tour in which Tim will umpire one baseball game in each of the fifty U.S. states. The tour is a unique opportunity for Tim to “feel the pulse” of the game around the nation before hanging up the gear for good.
The tour, titled “Last Time By”, refers to a base running rule as well as a farewell bid. Just as in the rule, Tim’s goal is to make his last pass throughout the game a successful accomplishment.
You are invited to follow on this unique journey as it kicks off in Washington in March, 2022 and nationally in April, 2023. Tim will be providing regular posts from each location as Debbie will be capturing the people and places on camera. We hope that this will be an experience you will want to share with them.
About Tim and Debbie
In addition to umpiring, Tim retires in 2023 after a career that took him from education to high tech. After ten years as a high school Teacher, Coach, Principal and Athletic Director, Tim moved into web and database development for non-profit organizations. Eventually transitioning into the world of high tech, he will wrap up his career after serving eight years in database development and data governance at Zillow.
Debbie embarks on this journey after completing her career of nearly twenty-five years as a Registered Nurse in both hospital and cancer clinic settings. After distinguishing herself as a healthcare provider, Debbie is trading her stethoscope for a camera to embrace a passion for photography. In addition to providing photographic services, Debbie will be in charge of public relations and promotion for the Last Time By tour.
Tim and Debbie have been married since 2012 and will split their time in retirement between their homes in Lake Stevens, WA and Castiglione a Casauria, Italy. Between them they have five grown children, all of whom live in the greater Seattle area.