Steven S. Krampf

Steven S. Krampf, of Brookline, Massachusetts, passed away on January 31, 2024 at the age of 75. Steven is predeceased by his loving parents, Rubin and Doris (Apter) Krampf. He is survived by his loving wife, Michele (Moscone) Krampf, his beloved daughter Lauren, and his younger brother, Edward Krampf. Steven also leaves behind his adored nieces and nephews, Amanda Renn (Michael), Nicole Krampf, Sophia Westhoff (Andrew), Erica (Moscone) Tuneburg (Robert), Jordan Moscone, and Christian Moscone. He also leaves 5 grandnieces. Steven also leaves behind many close friends, included his oldest friend, Mark Varon of New York, Donald and Jeana (Anderson) Puluse of Marblehead, and Jay Gentile of Newport, RI.

Steven was born in the Bronx in 1948. He attended PS 70, Wade Jr High, Taft High School, and graduated from CCNY with a B.S. in 1969. Steven was a proud New Yorker and New York Yankees fan (that is, until he moved to Boston and became a Red Sox and Patriots fan, much to the chagrin of his NY/NJ friends and relatives). In his early twenties, Steve moved 3,000 miles away to California. First, to Los Angeles, and then, to San Francisco, which became his home for many years. He was followed out soon after, by his brother Ed. While in California, Steven entered the audio business and worked for various companies that were prominent at the time: Paul Seaman Company, Express Sound, Waveframe, and Otari, Inc. In 1992, via a short stop in Boulder, Colorado, Steven found his way to the Boston area through the job offer for Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Waltham based company, Lexicon. It was during this time that Steven developed a working relationship with the prestigious Berklee College of Music. This was a relationship he cherished. Eventually, as happens to many profitable companies, Lexicon was bought out by the audio conglomerate, Hartman International. For a few years after this, Steven concentrated on trying to grow a consulting business, until he decided to try his luck with the opening of his own audio business in 2003, that he called, Chestnut Hill Sound. Next to the birth of his daughter Lauren, this company was his pride and joy. The zenith point of the company’s creativity came when Chestnut Hill Sound won the Best in Show award at the 2007 Macworld Show for an IPod Speaker system and a desktop stereo system all rolled into one, in a product Steven called George. Named after George Martin, the Beatles producer, and one of Steven’s hero’s. Unfortunately, after the 2008 recession, many avenues of funding dried up, and Steven was forced to close the doors in 2010/11.

Steven was a wonderful man. He was smart, creative, funny, kind, and a friend to all. Steven never had acquaintances. Everyone became a friend immediately. He was a hard worker, would give you the shirt off his back, and believed that family was everything. Steven’s passing, though a blessing after his long battle dementia, will leave a big hole in the hearts and lives of his family and friends. He will be missed.

Services for Steven will take place at 1:30pm on February 4, 2024 at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA. Following services, burial will take place at the Walnut Hills Cemetery in Brookline, MA.