Steve Devoto

Steve was born in San Francisco on October 23, 1934, to Ralph and Cleo (Anderson) Devoto. Steve was persistent and fearless, embracing challenges far removed from his past experiences. He grew up in Lakeport, in a house between North Main and Clear Lake. He was a remarkable athlete his whole life, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball at Clear Lake Union High School. He continued his education at Cal Berkeley where he rowed crew under the legendary Ky Ebright at Cal. While at Berkeley, he developed an interest in engineering, and transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a BS in 1956, and an M.S. in 1960. He returned to California to complete a PhD in Aeronautics and Astrophysics at Stanford in 1965. His PhD thesis research, on the transport properties of ionized monatomic gases, continues to inspire scientists around the world.

Steve met his future wife, Louise Mulier of Amsterdam, at a French course in Cannes. After some years of long-distance courtship, they married in 1960. They raised three children: Stephen, Vincent, and Ulrike. In 1967, the family relocated to Munich when Steve accepted a fellowship at the Max Planck Institut für Plasmaphysik. During their two-year stay in Germany, the entire family experienced a full immersion in German language and culture and all became fluent in spoken and written German. Steve and Louise divorced in 1979.

After a successful career in engineering at Georgia Tech and Lawrence Livermore Labs, Steve decided to return to his roots in Lake County. He embarked on two new professional paths: he took over his mother’s vineyards in Lakeport and Kelseyville, and became the manager of Lake County Title, a business previously overseen by his father decades before.

Steve had a passion for the outdoors in all seasons, in particular mountaineering. He was among the climbing pioneers of the 1960s in Yosemite and the High Sierra and was active in environmental education. During the summer months, he could often be found mountaineering and backpacking. When winter arrived, he turned his attention to skiing, embracing the snow-covered mountains of California. He often brought along his family on these outdoor adventures, instilling in them the love of exploration, adventure and the outdoors.

He was very active in the Rock Climbing Section of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, brought his family to Clair Tappaan Lodge every winter, and led many week-long base camp backpacking trips for the Sierra Club. After returning to Lake County, he frequently led day hikes for the Sierra Club, helping others to enjoy and appreciate the natural world. His leadership of hikes into the Cache Creek Wilderness, helped to generate support for the permanent protection of this area, a goal which was achieved in 2006.

Another passion Steve had was for soccer. Throughout his children’s upbringing, he dedicated many fall seasons to coaching soccer at all levels from recreational to competitive soccer teams. He even coached his daughter’s soccer team to a California state championship! To this day, many of his former players have fond memories of their years playing for Mr. Devoto.

Steve embraced the challenges of each of his careers, mastering science, title insurance, and wine grape growing at the highest level, and thriving in environments as diverse as Cannes, Cambridge, Palo Alto, Munich, Atlanta, Livermore, Lake County and finally, Portland.

Steve is survived by his children Stephen Devoto (Joyce Powzyk), Vincent Mulier, and Ulrike Devoto (Marc Fovinci), his grandchildren Marcelle, Audra, Clark, Henry, and Bella, his sister Janis Devoto, and his nephews, niece, and their children. There will be a memorial service on December 27 at noon, at Finley Sunset Hills in Portland (503-292-6654). Memorial gifts may be made to The Lake County Land Trust (www.lakecountylandtrust.org).