Stephen Thorpe, 81, passed away on Saturday, April 3, 2021, at his home in rural Denver. 

He was born December 6, 1939, in Des Moines, the son of Philip and Ruth (Mote) Thorpe. He graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1958, attended Grinnell College, Iowa State University, and graduated from Upper Iowa University. 

He was a member of the Iowa Army National Guard for 14 years.

Steve married Kathryn Denny on September 6, 1963, in Des Moines; they later divorced. Three children were born to this union, Lynn Fiorendino of Minneapolis, Laura (Joel) Meyers of Cedar Falls, and Steve of Kailua, HI.  

In 1995, Steve married Liz Juhl, who has four children, Theresa Juhl of Iowa City, Daniel (Christine) Juhl of Snohomish, WA, Christine (Aaron) Ferrie and Sarah Juhl, both of Waterloo.

Steve began his professional career during college as an intern with Northwestern Mutual Insurance. He retired after 56 years with this company in September 2020.

He was a member of First Congregational Church and served as Moderator, Deacon and was a member of several Boards and Committees.

Community service was a lifelong passion for Steve. He was involved with many organizations including being a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader for his children's troops. He also served with Junior Achievement, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, MercyOne Foundation, Gateway International, Waterloo Community School District School Board, Waterloo Downtown Rotary Club, Rotary International District Governor, Shriners International, and Hope and Relief International Foundation, among others.

For the past 20 years, Steve and Liz have traveled to Nicaragua delivering necessities to the extremely impoverished areas near Chinandega. Steve was a longtime supporter of Iowa State, the Nicaragua project in Chinandega, the Kampala Hospital in Uganda, and the Rotary Youth Exchange program. He loved to travel and was a collector of a variety of things of interest, including rocks.

Survivors include his wife, Liz; his three children; Liz's four children; sixteen grandchildren: Rose, Boon, Jacob, Audrey, Kate, Trevor, Carter, Ben, Lilli (Bryant), Andy (Thanri), Pete (Sierra), Christian, Logan, Lucy, June, and Madoc; one great granddaughter, Ezza Mae; nephews, Matt and Mark Dolliver and their wives and children; and his dog, Bella, a cherished companion following in a long line of pets.

He is preceded in death by his parents; and his two sisters and their husbands, Pat and Mac Dolliver and Sandy and Sonny Layton.