Stephen Anthony Kiorpes

Stephen Anthony Kiorpes passed away peacefully in his Birmingham, Alabama home on May 1st, 2020 at the age of 90. Born and raised in Yonkers, NY, he was the fifth of six children, whose Greek immigrant parents raised the family during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. He graduated with honors from Gorton High School in Yonkers, then earned a degree through the cooperative program in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. As an undergraduate, he was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Phi Lambda Upsilon, Alpha Chi Sigma, and the student chapter of AIChE. Shortly after graduating from Cincinnati he worked for Phillips Petroleum before he was drafted into the US Army, where he served for two years as a member of the US Army Chemical Corps. Upon his discharge from the Army, he was hired by the New York City engineering firm Scientific Design (SD), where he specialized in the design & commissioning of chemical processing plants around the world. In 1988 he accepted a position with Rust Engineering in Birmingham, where he worked the final 12 years of his long and distinguished career.

As a dedicated member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) beginning in 1952, Stephen spent many years volunteering with that organization, including meeting with local students interested in pursuing engineering, and mentoring young engineers. He published in engineering journals, co-authored the course lecture “Plant Start-Up” for the AIChE Continuing Education Series, and in 2014 received the prestigious AIChE Process Engineering Award which recognizes individuals or teams working in plant operations, process control and/or supply chain management that have significantly improved the safety, reliability or economics of process operations.

Stephen and his wife Jane (nee Hutchinson) raised their three children in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, before moving to Alabama. They remained in Birmingham after his retirement, enjoying the many local restaurants, music events, and nearby vacation destinations.

Stephen’s lifelong love of travel was fueled by several overseas assignments on four continents during his long career with Scientific Design, including stints in Japan, Australia, Brazil, Romania, Russia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In addition, Stephen greatly enjoyed both photography and making home movies of his family and travels. He loved listening to his extensive music collection, which comprised an eclectic range of musical styles including classical, big band, opera, Greek, and pop music. He was also an avid swimmer throughout his entire life. And finally, he was an unabashed animal lover who was the favorite of every dog or cat who ever met him, including the four family dogs.

Stephen was preceded in death by his wife Jane in May 2019. He is survived by his two daughters, Laurel Kiorpes Parker and Karen E. Kiorpes; son Stephen T. Kiorpes; brother George (Suzanne) Kiorpes; grandchildren Daniel (Ashley) Parker, Robert (Rebekah) Parker, and Amy Parker; great-grandchildren Gabriel and Emma; and many beloved nieces and nephews. All will miss him dearly.

The family would like to thank the staff at Comfort Keepers and Affinity Hospice for their kindness and expert caregiving, especially during the pandemic, which allowed him to stay in his home as he wished.

Private services will be held at a later date in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. Contributions in him name may be made to the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science Scholarship Fund (www. giveto.uc.edu/Kiorpes) or AIChE (https://www.aiche.org/giving/get-involved/donate-online/give-now or by mail to the AIChE Foundation, Attn: Central Alabama Section, 120 Wall Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005.)