Obituary

Stephen Kupiec
September 19, 1964 – November 6, 2024

Respected and creative scientist. Beloved son, brother and cousin.  Generous friend and colleague. Passionate defender of causes he deeply cared about.

Stephen, who lived in California for half his life but never stopped missing his hometown of Chicago, will himself never stop being missed by those who loved and respected him.

Stephen was the first to graduate from college in his immediate family, and he did so with a triple major in computer science, mathematics, and physics at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois. He then received both an MS and PhD from the University of Alabama at Huntsville in the then cutting-edge field of fiber optic physics.

After university, Stephen relocated from Alabama to southern California, not for the sun and surf, but for the science.  He worked most recently at Advanced Systems and Technologies, Inc as Senior Scientist. During his career, Stephen invented or perfected a wide range of technological advancements, from medical imaging devices to aerospace technology.

When he wasn’t working, Stephen enjoyed a long walk, a good meal, anime, every animal he ever met, and communicating with friends across the country.  He was a voracious reader and had perfect recall of the information contained in the many journals, blogs, books and other media that he consumed.  There was almost nothing – other than maybe sports or fashion – that he couldn’t speak upon knowledgeably.

Stephen was also a passionate lover of and defender of democracy, and he spent almost all of his free moments during his last few years of life championing democratic causes and candidates that shared his views.

Stephen leaves behind family and friends from around the country, and he will live on in their memories.  A memorial to celebrate his life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time at the O’Connor Mortuary, 25301 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills California 92653 and via this webcast link: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTczMTIyNjI3OTMzNjMxNiZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==