Stephen Mark Walth

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Steve Walth used his time exceedingly well.

He was born to Earl and Margaret Walth on August 2, 1950, in Ipswich, South Dakota. His parents moved his family to Colorado. He had three siblings: an older brother, Michael Owen Walth, who lives in Louisville, CO; an older sister, Janet Lee Wilson, who lives in North Carolina; and a younger sister, Mary Margaret Bernard, who lives in Denver.

He graduated from the Abbey High School in Canon City in 1968; from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a BA in sociology in 1972; and from Pikes Peak Community College with an AA in Computer Information Technology in 1985.

Steve had five great passions.

First, his wife, Brenda Kay Walth, was the love of his life. She was his rock. She cared for him always and in all ways. He adored her, and she adored him.

Second, Steve and Brenda had three exceptional sons: Gregory Benezette Walth; Mark Stephen Walth; and Benjamin Michael Walth. Steve's boys were his great pride. He often talked about raising them to meet the Greek ideal, and they surpassed his high expectations. They are strong in mind, in body, and in character. They have done great things, and they will do many more. Steve and Brenda have made us vastly richer by bringing up their three boys to be the kind of men who will make this world a far better place.

Third, Steve loved to teach. He taught computer science for many years at Pikes Peak Community College. He had good students and bad ones, but he cared about them all. He had an infectious way of describing ideas that made people want to hear more.

Fourth, Steve had a lifelong affair with literature. He read widely and voraciously. He had a sophisticated inner ear, and he knew what distinguished good writing from bad. He recommended many good books to many people, and they viewed his recommendations with both respect and anticipation.

Last, Steve loved the Colorado mountains. He took his family camping -- a lot. They liked listening to the wind; taking hikes; looking for wildlife; marveling at the scenery; ducking into a tent or a camper to get away from the rain; and cooking on a fire. Those trips were sweet for a lot of reasons, but mostly because the Walth family was together.

Steve was wicked smart, perpetually kind and he had a grand but gentle sense of humor. He often used that sense of humor to make points in a way that the listener appreciated without taking offense.

The last ten years were hard on him. He had an enlarged heart and then a stroke; and then his heart began to fail. It finally stopped beating on May 9, 2015, as he sat at home talking with Brenda.

We love Steve, and we will always miss him. And that is why he will stay alive in us. A Celebration of Life will be held, Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. at Memorial Gardens Funeral Home located at 3825 Airport Road, Colorado Springs, CO. 80910.