Stephen Klein

Stephen Klein died on May 28th at age 89 after a brief illness. He was a loving father, grandfather, brother, public servant, and civil rights advocate. He faced his death as he lived his life, with tenacity, warmth, and good humor, surrounded by family and friends.

Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1936 to Elmer Klein and Sylvia Finkenberg Klein, Stephen had two brothers, Paul and David, to whom he stayed close for his entire life. At age five, Stephen’s family relocated to Chicago, where he promptly got lost wandering in the Chicago Zoo. He spent the rest of his childhood growing up in Highland Park, rooting for the White Sox, becoming an accomplished golfer, and spending time with a gang of close friends, including Sheldon Baskin and Alan Rappaport who became lifelong friends.

In 1958, Stephen graduated from Cornell University alongside his friend and fraternity brother Joel “Bergs” Bergsman. At Cornell, Stephen majored in Political Science and Government, where he was the captain of the golf team. He made the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship that year, losing on the second-to-last hole to eventual champion Phil Rodgers. After college, Stephen went on to earn an MBA from the University of Chicago and later a Masters in Economics from American University.

For the majority of his adult life, Stephen lived in Washington D.C. Called to public service after graduating from business school, he joined the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1963 and worked in a variety of roles focused on development and energy policy with a focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency until 1991. He served as a loan officer in Nigeria in the late-1960s, then transferred to the US AID domestic service in the 1970s to be an involved father to sons Abram and Sam, who has special needs, and step-daughter Niani. During this time Stephen travelled frequently to Ethiopia working on development projects, then became an expert on deforestation, energy and environmental issues in developing countries as AID’s Energy Policy Advisor. His friends recall him talking about the coming salience of global climate change as society's next great challenge before most people had ever heard of global warming or the greenhouse effect. In 1985, Stephen transferred back to the Foreign Service, leading AID’s Energy and Natural Resources Division in Morocco, where he helped establish a new Moroccan Renewable Energy Institute and led Energy Policy and Energy Efficiency technical assistance to transform Moroccan energy policy toward increased reliance on abundant renewable energy resources. Whether in Morocco, Nigeria or elsewhere, Stephen made friends easily with local officials and their families; sometimes on the golf course and frequently over conversation-laden meals. In Morocco, Stephen insisted that his home staff not speak English to better develop his French skills, and after retiring he continued to take French lessons until his passing, periodically travelling back to Morocco or France to visit. His Moroccan house-keeper Kadisha became a devoted friend. After leaving AID, Stephen worked for the next year as a member of the U.S. delegation for the worldwide U.N. Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, which established the international diplomatic process to address the climate crisis. Stephen subsequently worked part-time as an international development consultant.

Stephen’s commitment to advocacy and justice extended throughout his life, even outside his work at AID — from marching against the war in Vietnam, to advocating for Jewish safety and Palestinian rights as a member of J Street, to supporting the Adams Morgan neighborhood’s development, to serving as a board member of the Hill Country Project, which records histories of grassroots activism in rural America, until his death. Stephen held elected office on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in D.C. and also served on the District’s Redevelopment Land Agency. In his retirement, he tutored children in reading every week. He was a co-author of Voices from the Mississippi Hill Country: The Benton County Civil Rights Movement, published in 2020, which won the Book of the Year award from the Mississippi Historical Society in 2024, and remained active in community affairs, including traveling to Mississippi in his final weeks as part of his democracy education work.

Most importantly, Stephen was a present, supportive, and unconditionally loving father and grandfather. Parenting his two sons, Abram and Sam, and his stepdaughter, Niani, was a focal point for Stephen’s life, and he took on new responsibilities and joys in his time as a grandparent. Stephen’s younger son Sam lives in a group home for developmentally disabled adults in Southern Maryland, and Stephen was his cheerleader, advocate, and fiercest supporter, visiting him every week of his life. He was cherished by all three of his children and always considered Niani a daughter rather than a stepdaughter.

As a grandparent to Eliza, Jeremy, Danny, Zion, and Aliyah, Stephen traveled to ultimate frisbee tournaments, viola recitals, track meets, and school plays to enthusiastically cheer on his grandchildren, and took great interest in their pursuits. When Eliza worked at an environmental advocacy non-profit, he closely read the organization’s 32 page policy memo and then wanted to discuss it in detail. He loved to talk politics with Jeremy and hear stories about Danny’s frisbee team. He was a daily presence in Zion and Aliyah’s lives as they shared a home; he made them french toast every Sunday, shuttled them to school and activities, and took pride in their accomplishments. As a present and loving godparent to Sasha and Marcus, he taught them to ride bikes, traveled with them to France and Spain, and ate dinner together each Sunday, where they read Harry Potter after dinner and he always fell asleep.

Stephen loved birdwatching, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, ice cream, golf, reading the newspaper (especially the sports section which he read daily starting with the Chicago Sun Times at age five), cooking with his wok, making french toast on Sundays, and democracy. He was notorious in the Crestwood neighborhood for walking his enormous Great Pyrenees dogs, Boris and later Beau. He loved to talk about politics and energy policy with his grandchildren, who reported that “once he got going, he wouldn’t stop.” He welcomed guests in his home for long and short term stays, from friends and family members who lived with him for years to his grandchildren’s college classmates camping out in sleeping bags on his floor when they traveled to D.C. for protests. He had so many friends who loved him, and had a wonderful ability to build relationships across age, race, gender, and nationality, including unique, ongoing and loving relationships with former partners Jeanie Lujan and Audrey Rowe, and with Sam and Abram’s mom, Helen Marek. In his final weeks, he saw a revolving door of visitors who expressed how much he meant to them.

Stephen’s strong will, patience, good humor, attention to detail, dedication, and unwavering support for his loved ones were present even in his final days. He is survived by his sons Abram and Sam Klein; his daughter-in-law Debbie Klein; his son-in-law Xris Omotesa; his grandchildren Eliza, Jeremy, and Daniel Klein and Zion and Aliyah Omotesa; his brothers David and Paul Klein (and his sisters-in-law Evelyne and Natalie Klein); his chosen family and godchildren Lynn, Sasha, and Marcus McNair; his former spouses Audrey Rowe and Helen Marek; his dear friend Jeanie Lujan; and many adoring nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his stepdaughter Niani Omotesa and his parents Sylvia and Elmer Klein. He was proud of his family and his career, and in his final days, expressed feeling immensely content with his life and grateful to have found such fulfillment and meaning. We will miss him so much.

Please join us for Stephen’s memorial service on Friday June 6th at 10:30 AM at the Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home at 11800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. Following the service will be a shiva/reception on-site where friends and loved ones can gather in Stephen’s memory.

In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you donate to the “Sam’s Dad” Fund Fund at The Arc Southern Maryland. Stephen’s son, Sam, is supported by The Arc. Your gift will help continue the work that meant so much to Stephen — ensuring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are seen, valued, and empowered every day. You can donate online here using the link below. https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/the-arc-of-southern-maryland/sams-dads-fund If you'd rather give a check, you can mail it to The Arc SoMD, P.O. Box 1860, Prince Frederick, MD 20678.