Stephen William Kenkel

Stephen William Kenkel, age 64, of Cary, North Carolina, died on December 24, 2019. Steve died peacefully after a long illness and was surrounded by family. He was predeceased by his parents William Francis and Marion Scott Kenkel. Steve is survived by his wife Debbie Travers; sons Samuel and John; brother Phillip and his wife Evelyn Quillen of Stillwater, Oklahoma; brother Donald and his wife Delia of Ithaca, New York; brother Kenneth and his wife Joan of Union, Kentucky; and sister Kathryn and her husband George Bravo of Marina, California. Steve was born on February 4, 1955 in Ames, Iowa. He was fascinated with science and technology as a child, and built model rockets, HAM radios, and other devices, including spectacular science fair projects for his younger siblings. Steve earned a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Kentucky, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina. He worked in integrated circuit design at Microelectronics of North Carolina and in computer engineering at Nortel, Cisco, and Fidelity Investments. Steve was a devoted husband and father and took great pride in his wife’s and sons’ accomplishments. All who knew him were impressed by his intellect, the breadth and depth of his knowledge, his sense of humor (puns aside), and his humility. Steve enjoyed big band music, science fiction, history, musicals, and poetry. Steve loved bicycling and he and Debbie had many adventures including riding the coasts of California, North Carolina and Maui, and along the Seine in Paris. He was raised a Catholic, and considered himself a Catholic all his life, even when he was in between parishes. Steve was also an active participant in the United Church of Christ with Debbie and John. He faced his final diagnoses with tremendous dignity and grace, and above all wanted to spend time with his family, his friends, and his dogs. Steve took up writing poetry after his brain tumor diagnosis and found inspiration and new friends in the Funshop poetry group. The family expresses gratitude for all who cared for Steve during his illness including Duke Neurology, Duke Cancer Center and Transitions LifeCare. Donations in Steve’s memory are suggested to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke or the ALS Association- North Carolina Chapter. There will be a funeral mass for Stephen Kenkel at 1pm Friday, January 31, 2020 at Saint Andrew the Apostle Roman Catholic Church at 3008 Old Raleigh Road, Apex, NC 27502. Following the mass there will be a celebration in honor of Stephen’s life at 3pm Friday, January 31, 2020 at United Church of Chapel Hill at 1321 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514. Friends are welcome to attend either or both of the services. Flower Cupboard in Cary ( https://theflowercupboard.com/ ) is the floral provider for the service.

Stephen William Kenkel

February 4, 1955 - December 24, 2019