Allan Joseph Stelmach

Surrounded by the love of his family and bathed in the light of the rising sun, Allan Joseph Stelmach passed away peacefully at his home in Carlsbad, California at the age of 87 on December 17, 2025.

Allan was born on August 19, 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri to Erna and Joseph Stelmach. His family, including his brother Harlan and his four sisters, Joan, Barbara, Carolyn, and Mary, moved to Oceanside, California in 1954. After graduating from Oceanside-Carlsbad High School in 1956, he attended and later graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Allan met Suzanne Cundiff in 1959 at Herb's Drive-in Restaurant in Oceanside, and they were married on August 18, 1962. They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this year.

Allan worked for many years as the General Sales Manager for KSON and KYXY radio stations, and he rounded off his career as the General Sales Manager for Entravision Radio and Television. He was a beloved community member, who coordinated and coached Little League and Pony League teams in Carlsbad. Along with the extended Stelmach family, Allan and Suzanne have been cherished members of the First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside since its founding. Following Allan's retirement in 2014, the couple enjoyed traveling and spending time with their three children, Roger, David, and Kathryn, and with their six grandchildren.

As a popular classmate at Oceanside-Carlsbad High School, Allan was the Senior Class President and lettered three years in varsity baseball, two years in varsity football, and two years in varsity basketball. He was also the quarterback for the varsity football team, leading them to two championships. Coach John Simcox said that Allan was an athletic genius, who quickly memorized the entire football playbook over the course of two days, and he often trusted Allan to call his own plays. In high school and throughout his entire life, the spirit of genuine sportsmanship, of being a true team player, surrounded Allan's actions and life philosophy.

"I had the privilege of playing with a lot of fine athletes," Allan said. "Sometimes you think of yourself as really being a great athlete, but the great athletes will tell you that if it wasn't for the other guys around you that did so many good things, not only for yourself but for the team, you wouldn't be getting the recognition that you do. ... We won two championships and went to the playoffs, and we had a great team and a great rapport. And I think they respected me more because when it was first and goal at the one- or two-yard line, I'd give it to somebody else and let them score it all. And every time I'd come off the sidelines, Simcox would just always look at me and wink at me ... as if to say, 'You got it.'"

Allan loved living in Oceanside and Carlsbad since he moved with his family from Missouri in 1954. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Barbara, and he is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and by his children and their spouses—Roger and his wife, Genevieve; David and his wife, Marisol; and Kathryn and her husband, Dave. He is also survived by his beloved grandsons: Roger, Anthony, Jonathan, Tony, Nathaniel, and Evan. Allan will be missed by all who knew him, and he will especially be remembered for making everyone around him feel welcome, valued, and worthwhile.

Friends and relatives are warmly invited to celebrate Allan's life at a memorial service on Saturday, January 17 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside. (In lieu of flowers, please consider a charitable donation to the Presbyterian Church.)