Stephen Donald Strom

Stephen Donald Strom, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, and certified electronics whisperer, signed off for the last time on April 30, 2025, at the age of 74.

Born in Auburn, NY, Steve made his way to sunny South Florida as a kid, spending his youth in places people vacation—Key Largo, Homestead, the Bahamas, and Fort Lauderdale. It was there in high school that he met Marcia, the love of his life. After a few years of dating and managing drive-in theaters (yes, really), they married in 1972 and began a life of adventure.

In 1975, Steve joined the U.S. Air Force, kicking off a 24-year career that included everything from working deep underground in Minuteman missile silos to helping with nuclear cleanup in the Marshall Islands, and—perhaps most impressively—getting paid to hang out on Florida beaches watching shuttle launches. He always said his time at Avon Park Bombing Range was the best stretch of his career—and that’s saying something for a guy who got to play with missiles and radios for a living.

In 1990, Steve was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base and chose to plant roots in Crestview, where he lived for the rest of his life. After retirement, he continued his career as a civilian computer engineer and pursued his lifelong passion for electronics.

A proud amateur radio operator since the 1980s, Steve never met a signal he couldn’t catch or a hurricane he wouldn’t help outlast. When storms rolled in, he fired up his rig and got to work, helping coordinate emergency communications for the state of Florida.

Long before geeks were cool, Steve was already cool at it. He loved all things electronic and was constantly tinkering with gadgets—most of which he managed to fix. He was the rare grandfather who could actually help you troubleshoot your Wi-Fi, and passed his passion for tech on to two of his three kids and his grandkids (whether they liked it or not).

Steve was sharp-witted, sarcastic, full of stories, and always ready with a comeback. He didn’t take life too seriously—but he loved deeply, especially his family.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marcia; his children Stacie, Valerie, and Eric; grandchildren Jacob, Ellie, Ema, and Jared; his brother Mark, sister Ronda, and his faithful cat Squeakers.

In his honor, we ask that you raise a Diet Coke, repair something that probably didn’t need fixing, or finally learn what that blinking router light actually means. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the ARRL Foundation ( https://www.arrl.org/the-arrl-foundation ) in his memory.

Signing off, N4GXX. 73, Steve.

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