Stephen J. Banks

Stephen John Banks, 54, of Cream Ridge, NJ passed away Saturday, February 21, 2026. Born in Manchester, England, Steve was a graduate of Sunderland University in London where he earned degree in Civil Engineering. He and his wife moved from England in 2003, making Cream Ridge their home. He loved Cream Ridge and was very proud of the life he and his family created there. He was a partner and president of KMB Design Group in Wall, NJ. A true entrepreneur by nature, Steve was always looking forward.

Known to his friends as Banksy, Steve loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was an active member of the Eagle Oak Country Club in Farmingdale, NJ and was a member of the Monmouth Hunt Club. An avid Manchester City FC fan, he shared his passion for football/soccer as a share owner of the West Chester Soccer Club.

There are no words to describe Steve’s huge ability to love and embrace so many people, his gregarious and generous spirit, his loyalty to his family near and far and the restlessness to travel and experience life that fueled his constant FOMO of all the fun. Of course someone like him would have to travel across an ocean to live, because Stephen was larger than life and his smile spanned half the globe. One continent was simply not enough to contain the man that Steve was.

In an open letter to Stephen, his wife , Eliza, wrote “My dearest Stephen, thank you for bringing this Wisconsin farmgirl to England, and then being a crazy kid with me to go on the most daring adventure of living across an ocean, building a life from pennies, sticks and duct tape and one magnificent stallion, creating the best kid ever and building our dream together, even if it made you tired of horses and itching to get on to your next chapter: Whatever that could be you knew it would be amazing and I totally believed you. You were the hand behind me that held me up, that pushed me forward, that gave me rest. You challenged my fears and tested my will while you secretly worked feverishly to make all of our dreams come true.

I told Steve that if he moved to the United States, our nation would love his wicked genius that turned hoops into straight lines and red tape into fancy pink ribbons. He enjoyed every beer that brought him time with a friend, every round of golf that brought him home smiling and sunburnt with fantastic stories and smelling of cigars, the days when his face would light up like a little boy just because he had fun with a friend.

You who have been his friends, you and I shared Steve. I have never known him happier than when he could be with his “buddies”. His love was far too great to just be ours and it has been the joy of my life to watch how he loved to be the most amazing social butterfly I’ve ever known, and spread his fantastic magic energy around a room like stardust. I have often watched in wonder while on his arm as he worked his magic among friends and could seemingly instantly build a loyal army in a room full of strangers. Even though you always insisted on buying the round, the favor was always simply your presence.”

Son of the late John Colin Banks, he was predeceased by his uncle, Alan Hughes. Steve is survived by his wife of 26 years, Eliza Banks; his daughter, Paige Banks, his mother, Brenda Jean Banks; sister and brother-in-law, Claire and Christopher Bettany; brother and sister-in-law, Jonathan and Heather Banks; parents-in-law, Randy and Diane Puttkamer, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Tyrone and Pam Puttkamer and Mandi and Eddie Bue; his nieces and nephews, Olivia and Heidi Bettany, Rupert and Isla Banks, and Codey, Madeline and Allison Puttkamer. He is also survived by his best friend and business partner, Steve Bray and a network of friends, especially everyone at Eagle Oak CC.

A visitation will be held Sunday, March 8th from 4-8pm at the Peppler Funeral Home, 114 S. Main St. Allentown, NJ 08501. A celebration of Steve’s life will be held Monday, March 9th from 2-5pm at the Eagle Oaks Country Club, 20 Shore Oaks Dr, Farmingdale, NJ 07727.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Steve’s name to the Monmouth County Hunt, Hound Welfare Foundation to care for retired foxhounds at www.monmouthcountyhunt.com/foundation or to The Stephen J. Banks Memorial Fund, at Raymond James Charitable.