He was born on 17 August 1943 in Neosho, Missouri (the county seat of Newton County), but his parents moved later that year to Minneapolis, Minnesota. He lived in Minneapolis until 1950 (age 7) when his father was transferred to Okinawa and Korea and he, his sister, mother and grandmother Moody all moved to the Park Rapids, Minnesota area and lived at the family home called Camp on Big Sand Lake, Dorset, Minnesota. Camp was not insulated so for the next winter they lived in an apartment above the garage in Park Rapids owned by Peter Wilson’s grandfather. In 1952 (age 9) the family moved to Deurlach, 41710 Steintsweg 2, Baden Baden, Germany (near Karlsruhe where he attended school) where his father was stationed in the United States Army. In 1955 (age 12) when his father was discharged from the Army, they all moved back to the family home on Big Sand Lake in Minnesota. By the mid 1950’s Camp was insulated and later got a telephone, a septic tank and an indoor bathroom. He was nicknamed "Bugs”, for his fascination with them. He graduated from Park Rapids High School in 1961. He was a Chinese stamp collector and dealer. He received a BA in Biology & English from Moorhead State University in 1966. He did graduate work in zoology and herpetology at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. Stef was in the Peace Corp in Thailand for a year (1965-66 or so). In the District of Columbia he worked for three years as a Statistician as a policy and standards specialist. He was in Vietnam for 6 months, at Cam Rahn Bay, doing some kind of research. (U.S. Army Medical Corps). He arrived in the Skagit Valley in about 1976. He lived in Sedro-Woolley, Washington in 1977. His jobs included driving a taxi and more recently he's worked in security. It seems he lived and worked in the Skagit Valley from 1976 to about 1987. When Katie Kauffman met him (1993) he was working at Wights, in Lynnwood, as a plant specialist. The work related to the tulip fields at West Shore Acres, near Mount Vernon, Washington. Stephen and Katie started seeing each other in June of 1993. From that time until December of 2000, he lived at 5920 South West 300th Street, #39, Lynwood, Washington 98036. Lynnwood is several miles north of Seattle. Katie lived in Seattle. We would get together on weekends. On December 13, 2000, while Stephen was at his evening job, a fire totally destroyed his mobile home. We both hurried to the site as soon as we got the news. Among the charred debris, his large collection of Chinese stamps was undamaged. Hundreds of small pieces of paper had survived. Apparently a strong wooden bookcase and well-constructed albums had saved them. What good fortune! This collection was important to him on a daily basis. Not only did he greatly enjoy it, he was also in the business of buying and selling stamps. We had not planned to live together--but there it was! Stephen moved into my tiny apartment (in the house I own with my sister) that evening. We lived together successfully and cooperatively in this small space until January 2003. By that time it was clear he needed his own place. He bought a mobile home in Kenmore, Washington in 2003. In 2004 he started a relationship with Elizabeth “Liz” Chenowith that lasted until his death. In the summer of 2005 he and Liz visited Frank Moody, Dwight Moody and Peter Wilson in Park Rapids, Minnesota. On 1 Sep 2010 “Liz and I have bought a house, a great idea for seniors during economic hard times, but we are both doing well. The home at 16059 Ashworth Avenue North, Shoreline, Washington 98133 was owned by an architect/ landscaper couple and has a beautiful garden in both the front and back yards, along with a fountain & goldfish pool.” They spent 8 years together.
23 Jan 2007 Peter Wilson said " I think Stefan was his preferred rendering of his name since the years 1952-55 when the family lived in Durlach, near Karlsruhe, Baden-Baden. I think Stefan was married, briefly, three times, but has no children. Liz seems to be a keeper. He has become an expert in Chinese postage stamps, and earns a good part of his income from trading. Stef was a profound student of nature, and an expert in Chinese postage stamps. Stef had a love of, and much affinity with birds, in particular parrots. A man with an open mind, firm heart and gentle touch. He had gone for a bike ride and was found dead on the bike trail, apparently of a heart attack.” ®175
The Sammamish River Trail, south of North East 145th in Woodinville, Washington 98072.

“He said before that he'd had a job working with handicapped people. Important friends/partners in his life included Barbara, Janet, and Cheryl. (I don't have last names) He was married/divorced to Barbara, and later Cheryl.
He looked after his father, Marc, at the end of Marc's life. Marc was in Seattle 1997 to 2003.
Love,
Katie” ®175