Stephen Elrick

Steve Elrick died suddenly at home in Los Altos on August 16, 2023, at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Bente Larsen, his children Heather, Danika and Thomas Elrick, and his grandchildren, Alma and Alden Forbes. Steve was born in San Francisco in 1945 and was adopted by Tom and Alice Elrick. An only child, Steve attended Napa High School. As an adult, Steve learned of and connected with a half-brother on his birth mother's side and six half-siblings on the side of his birth father. Steve received his undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University and was a member of Lambda Nu fraternity. During college, he married Rosemary Zumwalt and together they had Heather. Steve attended Michigan Law School and was active in the anti-Vietnam war movement. His first job as a lawyer was with Navajo Legal Aid on the reservation in Window Rock, Arizona. Steve and family would subsequently live in Napa, Santa Cruz and Yountville while Steve worked for Legal Aid and then had a general practice. Steve loved music and played French Horn in the Napa and Santa Rosa symphonies; he also played piano and later took up the Alphorn. After Steve's first marriage ended, he met Bente folk-dancing, and it was love at first sight. Steve and Bente moved to Redwood City and Steve began working for the Santa Clara Public Defender and then the Alternate Defender, where he would work more than thirty years until retirement. Steve and Bente married and had Danika and then Thomas. They moved to Los Altos to support Bente's aging parents and built the home they would live in until Steve's death. Steve became a grandfather when Heather had Alma and Alden. In his later years, Steve took up choral singing and spent much of his free time with his family. After he and Bente retired, they traveled more, most recently to Alaska. Steve loved to laugh and did so often and easily. He was irreverent, boisterous and is greatly missed. Steve cared deeply about civil liberties and justice and dedicated his life's work to advancing these causes. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Second Harvest Food Bank. The family is holding a small, private service to commemorate Steve's life.