Stephen Michael Hollatz

Stephen Michael Hollatz

November 30, 1945 - November 7, 2019

Stephen Michael Hollatz, 73, of Naperville, Illinois, after months of battling various infections, passed away in his sleep on November 7, 2019 in Naperville, Illinois. A military funeral service will be held in his honor at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, December 2, 2019 at the Abraham Lincoln National Military Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. Pastor Rev. Daniel Miller of St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois will also attend the service.

Stephen Michael Hollatz was born on November 30, 1945 in Garner, Iowa, to the late Leroy and Agnes Hollatz. In 1973, he graduated with a Master's in Computer Science from Iowa State University after serving 1 year and 10 months in the Vietnam War. After graduation, he worked for the Navy for a year, then joined American Management Systems (now CGI, Inc.), an information technology consulting firm. He remained a loyal employee there for 36 years, retiring in 2011.

Steve had many interests he enjoyed in his life. He was a lifetime member with the Planetary Society, bringing his family to observe solar eclipses and viewing other astronomical events using his telescope. A lifelong supporter of environmental conservation, Steve enjoyed family trips to National and State Parks. He also liked to collect fossil specimens.

In recent years, Steve had developed an intense interest in genealogy, researching and communicating to family members the history and lineage of the Hollatz family. We all have learned interesting facts from his research. Steve also enjoyed reading, watching sci-fi movies, solving coding puzzles to keep his computer programming skills sharp, and attending family get-togethers and class reunions. Steve was always gentle, patient, and kind to his family and to others in his life. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, it was always to the point and full of meaning. His knowledge of a diverse range of subjects made for lively family conversations at the dinner table, and the family enjoyed board games and jigsaw puzzles together during the holidays. Allison enjoyed discussing topics in the fields of science and technology with Dad, and Tim had enjoyed his nightly bedtime story with Dad for all these years.

Stephen is survived by his wife Sophia, children Timothy and Allison, nephews Jonathan (Elizabeth) and Brian (Crisane), niece Emily (Adam Boge), and sister-in-law Sharon Hollatz.