Stephen Edward Krumsieg

Stephen Edward Krumsieg was born on January 25, 1951, in Boyle Heights, CA, to Ray Krumsieg and Teresa Krumsieg (Federico). Steve was given his name by his older brother, Fred Flores. As kids, Steve and Fred enjoyed rolling in the grass on their grandmother's front lawn, playing basketball, and eating pan de huevo from the neighborhood bakery. Their grandmother spoke only Spanish, so Steve spoke Spanish when in her home—a skill that waned after moving with his family when he was six years old to Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley. It was in the West San Fernando Valley that Steve would live for the next sixty-eight years.

Steve attended L. A. Baptist High School in Sepulveda, CA, a school with small, close-knit classes, where he made life-long friendships. While in school, he worked part-time at a convenience store and also made deliveries for a local pharmacy. Steve was quiet and introspective, so team sports did not appeal to him. But he ran long distance in track. His true love, however, was the beach—surfing, bodysurfing, and bodyboarding. During the summers, he would drive his VW Bug over beautiful Malibu Canyon and spend the long hot days in the water at Malibu and Zuma. Even as he grew older, Steve never lost his love of the beach. He would go there just to walk on the pier and watch the ocean.

Another of Steve's favorite pastimes was ping pong. Early on, he played with his brother and his father, and later he continued to play with friends. Often one could find Steve and friends in the garage playing game after game long into the night. Steve's quickness and dexterity also led him to become proficient at close up magic with a deck of cards. He was patient and determined and practiced and practiced until his sleight of hand was undetectable.

After high school, Steve pursued various forms of employment. Prior to retirement, he ran the administrative operations for Truxton Logistics Corporation, a freight forwarder. Though he had to commute long hours to work, he did so faithfully and cheerfully. One perk of this job was that Steve was able to revive a childhood skill since it required that he speak some Spanish.

Steve also retained his skill with cards throughout his life through part-time work with gaming companies which sponsored casino nights for charities. He became an expert at black-jack and poker as well as other casino games like craps, roulette, and baccarat. Because of his gracious temperament, knowledge, and patience, owners relied on Steve to teach other dealers the games.

Throughout his life, Steve remained a quiet and private person, but his faith was always deeply important to him. He longed to trust God and to live faithfully. He cared about others and was patient and generous with them. All who knew him will miss him and remember him as a wonderful person, always ready with a warm smile or a helping hand.

Steve is survived by his brother, Fred Flores.