Stephen Warren Klare

Stephen Warren Klare was born on April 16th, 1947 in Annapolis, MD. He died peacefully at home on June 10th, 2021 at the age of 74 after a courageous battle with mesothelioma. Steve is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Karen (Kroesen) Klare, his three daughters, Julie Klare, Wendy Klare, and Abby Monaco, six granddaughters, and one great-grandson.

Steve was one of five children of a US Naval Officer, Capt. Herman Klare and his mother, Margaret (Appling) Klare. He is survived by his two brothers, Mike and Brian, and his sister Kristin.

He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering at George Washington University, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. As part of his Master’s thesis, he helped develop the first US Post Office zip code reader. Steve began his career at Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ in 1969, married his college sweetheart, and then left to pursue a PhD at Arizona State University. In 1971, under the auspices of the Arizona Heart Institute, he earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering while developing the first miniaturized, wearable heart monitor.

Steve continued his career at Motorola in Phoenix, AZ, where he led engineering R&D teams to numerous breakthroughs for national defense and NASA. He taught Arizona State University classes and mentored numerous engineers, all of whom deeply respected Steve’s brilliance and appreciated his expectations of excellence. In one of his key contributions to technology and space exploration, he helped design the communications systems for NASA’s Voyager I and II, which launched in 1977. Steve’s signature is engraved on golden records that both spacecraft continue to carry through the galaxy, sending back communications from outside our solar system.

In 1981, Steve moved with his wife and three little girls to Atlanta, where he led Lockheed advanced research teams. His unique combination of technical expertise and entrepreneurial vision drove him to found Intercept Technology Inc, an innovative high-tech firm, which he led for the last three decades. He grew the company from a small Atlanta team to a global operation, developing specialized engineering software used in aerospace and defense, wireless, and semiconductor industries. His exceptional leadership and compassionate mentoring inspired and motivated everyone around him to work tirelessly in the pursuit of excellence and innovation.

Steve always found time to play games and practice sports with his daughters. He was an avid tennis player and dedicated Northside Youth Organization softball coach, committed to making sure every child played in every game. His quiet, gentle spirit gave him a special bond with animals and a deep respect for the lives of all creatures. Dogs, birds, and butterflies always found him in his vegetable garden while he worked to cultivate his specialty: weapons-grade hot peppers that were widely shared and renowned for their pain-inducing flavor.

He used his intellectual prowess and prodigious engineering skills for various home projects such as The World’s Greatest Sandbox and a full collection of replica NASA rockets, complete with a homemade launch pad that was regularly fired to the delight of his daughters and neighborhood children. As a talented plumber, electrician, and household-repair artist, he was up to any challenge that arose in the renovation of the family’s 1920s Atlanta house—including a feat of sheer determination where he masterminded the building of a basement where none had previously existed. He courageously taught all three of his daughters and four of his granddaughters how to drive, managing to survive each time. Steve loved to take road trips with his wife throughout Europe, Britain, Canada and the US, and took his family on frequent trips to his favorite place, the beach at Seaside, FL.

He died having received the sacraments of the Catholic Church. His patron saints are St. Joseph and St. Michael the Archangel. He will be buried in the St. Francis Garden at Arlington Memorial Park in Atlanta.

Stephen Klare was a loving, self-sacrificing, and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. A man of the finest character, he was loved and admired by all who knew him, and his memory will be carried in our hearts forever.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota at www.mayoclinic.org