Stephen Kaplan

Stephen Kaplan of Weston, formerly of Wayland and Framingham, passed away on March 29th, surrounded by family, at the age of 91. Steve was born in Boston, MA to Julius and Lena Kaplan and lived on Chiswick Street in Brighton before the family moved to Newton. A graduate of Newton High School, class of 1950, he then attended Cornell University, earning an A.B. in Government in 1954. In September of 1958, Steve met Judith Fireman on Nantucket and they would marry eight months later, beginning nearly 65 years of marriage. Along with his wife, Steve’s greatest love was always his family: his children, the late David Kaplan, Ruth (Kaplan) Calka and her husband Jim, and Michael Kaplan and his wife Kristin Robbins; and especially his four grandsons, Joshua, Justin and Jacob Calka and Rhys Kaplan who were the pride of his life.

Beyond family, he was a staunch supporter of Cornell, eagerly staying connected to all things Big Red throughout his life. To say that Steve was a devoted tennis player would not begin to capture how important the sport was to him. Over decades spent on the courts of Wightman Tennis Center in Weston, his countless friends and playing partners knew Steve to be a fixture of the club: head of the Tennis Committee for many years, an unfaltering organizer of weekly group matches, and, unforgettably, the 2007 Men’s "C" Singles Champion. His lifelong love of sports and the outdoors that began on the basketball courts of Newton as a boy extended to the ski slopes of Sugarloaf in Maine for many years, and sailing on Boston Harbor. An exercise maven throughout his life, Steve biked and swam, and one of his greatest pleasures until his final days was physical activity at the gym (not to mention physical therapy from a lifetime of orthopedic injuries).

Formerly President of Eagle Electric Supply Co., Inc., Steve filled his rich retirement life with his many loves: enjoying summers on Cape Cod, continuous learning through a variety of classes and seminars, and regularly attending theater and classical music performances. He rediscovered a love of the piano, taking lessons for many years. Steve was a strong supporter of the Jimmy Fund, anti-semitism organizations, gun control efforts and other progressive causes. His many friends and family members cherished him for his wicked sense of humor, his kindness, his gentle nature, his compassion and his deep commitment to the institutions and causes throughout his life that meant the most to him.

In addition to his immediate family, he leaves a sister, Carolyn Golding of Medway. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at 1 PM, at the Sharon Memorial Park Chapel, followed by interment. In lieu of flowers, we invite donations to be made in Steve’s honor to the Jimmy Fund (www.jimmyfund.org), the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (www.bradyunited.org) or the Anti-Defamation League (www.adl.org)