John Steven Coucoules

John Steven Coucoules, age 68, of Aurora, Colorado, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 6, 2025, with his wife and son by his side. Steve was born in Tacoma, Washington, on February 16, 1957, to John and Theresa Coucoules. The middle of three children, Steve inherited his tenacity from his father and his amazing work ethic and love of outdoor adventure from his mother.

Steve graduated from Lakes High School in Lakewood, Washington in 1975, where he enjoyed both athletic (football, swimming) and academic success. From there he attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He played football in his freshman year at USAFA before deciding to focus on his studies. The summer after his junior year changed the course of his life as he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and returned to Washington for treatment. While deciding whether to return to the academy for his final year, he kept up his engineering studies at the University of Washington. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Catherine Sollars. Steve eventually decided to finish his education at the academy, graduating in 1980 with a degree in Engineering Sciences and was immediately commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He later earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio.

He and Catherine were married on June 20, 1981, thus beginning their adventure around the globe. Steve was a career Air Force officer with varied intelligence assignments in California, Colorado (where they welcomed son Kevin), Ohio, and Washington, D.C. in the United States, as well as England and Australia overseas. He retired from the military in 2000 at the rank of Lt. Colonel and moved his family back to Aurora, Colorado. Steve then worked at Scitor Corporation for the next 13 years before retiring.

It’s no surprise that Steve was an early adopter of all things technology. He was a lifelong learner and spent significant time researching and implementing technology into his daily life. Family and friends were known to benefit from these research efforts as he lived by the motto, “be aware and share.”

Steve loved being active and outdoors where he pursued many of his favorite hobbies. A lifelong avid mountain climber, hiker and skier, he reached the summit of Mt. Rainier twice in his 20s; ran two marathons in his late 30s; and took up heli-skiing, scuba-diving, and golf in his 40s. In the last five years, as his physical health was declining, he picked up an interest in shooting. As with everything in his life, he pursued this activity with passion and intensity to continuously improve his performance.

Steve is survived by his wife, Catherine; son, Kevin; father, John Coucoules; and two sisters, Sue McNiven and Mary Coucoules. He was preceded in death by his mother, Theresa Coucoules.

The Celebration of Life will begin at 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 28th, at Horan & McConaty SE Denver/Aurora Family Chapel, 11150 East Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora, CO 80014. A reception follows at 11:00 AM in the adjacent Heartlight Reception Center. The family requests that if you are considering sending flowers you would instead donate to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation in memory of Steve.