Colonel Stephen M. Tate

Stephen M. Tate, 61, of Little Rock, a retired Air Force colonel, died Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012 at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Born February 17, 1951, in Little Rock, Tate was the son of Janet Tate of Little Rock and the late J.L. Tate. He attended public school in Little Rock and graduated in 1975 from Hendrix College in Conway with a degree in biology. He then attended Air Force Officer Training School at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, and received his commission as a second lieutenant. Stephen's decorated military career spanned 28 years and included numerous assignments in the United States, as well as those in Lakenheath, England, and Torrejon Air Base in Spain. He held positions in a variety of areas including munitions, maintenance and logistics as well as F-4 navigator. He was officer in charge of a munitions maintenance squadron at Lakenheath, where he was later promoted to maintenance supervisor in an organizational maintenance squadron. He also was officer in charge at the Battle Staff Support Center at NORAD, where he became executive officer to the director. He was chief of maintenance for a test squadron at Hill AFB in Utah, and squadron commander at Torrejon Air Base in Spain. In Dayton, Stephen was executive officer to the vice commander for Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command; chief of operations branch in the F-16 program office; program director for the Predator program, a remotely piloted vehicle; group commander for logistics in the 88th Air Base Wing; vice commander of the 88th Air Base Wing; and commander of the 88th Logistics Group of the Aeronautical Systems Center. He also was director of information systems in Montgomery. Stephen earned masters' degrees in public administration, national resource strategy, and logistics management. He also attended Squadron Officers School, Intermediate Service School and Senior Service School, and attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University. He received the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Stephen retired in 2005 from the Air Force. After retirement, Stephen worked for IBM as a program manager, and he was currently a director at CSC, where he worked for eight months in Iraq in infrastructure development. Stephen was devoted to God, his country, his family and his friends. He expected much of himself and life and brought the best out in those around him. Stephen is also survived by his wife, Becky Tate; his son, Nathan Tate of New York, NY; his daughter, Mary Kathryn Tate of New York, NY; two brothers, Galen Tate of Bridgeport, Conn., and Byron Tate and his wife Pat Tate of Pine Bluff, Ark.; his brother-in-law, Gregg Curtis and his wife Julie of Little Rock; his mother-in-law Mary Jo Curtis of Little Rock, Ark.; three nephews, Ethan Tate, Cody Curtis and Keaton Curtis; and one niece, Kristen Curtis. Funeral services were held on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 at Patterson Park Church in Beavercreek, Ohio. Graveside service with full Military Honors will be at 9 a.m.Tuesday at Pinecrest Memorial Park on Highway 5 under the direction of Griffin Leggett Healey and Roth Funeral Home of Little Rock with the Rev. Rick Jaggers officiating. A reception will follow at Immanuel Baptist Church. Memorials may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Tecumseh Council, 326 South Thompson, Springfield, OH 45506 or to Patterson Park Church at 3655 East Patterson Road, Beavercreek, OH 45430. To sign the online guestbook, go to www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com