Stephen Khor Chambang

Stephen Knor Chambang, age 57, of Storm Lake, Iowa died September 4, 2025 in Storm Lake. Services are pending. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. Stephen was born on March 2, 1968 to Chambang Chuol and Nyaliep Met in South Sudan. In 1994, Stephen moved to the United States. He attended school at White Bear Lake High School in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. On February 20, 2001, Stephen was united in marriage to Sarah Nyariek Both in South Sudan. Stephen was blessed with eight children: Nyalib, Marnaa, Yik, Nyasunday, Nyapal, Mabiel, Nyantut, and Chambang. Stephen was an active member of Lakeside Presbyterian, where he served as a deacon. He was the founder of the East African Community Development Organization, a non-profit he started with the mission of helping displaced individuals and communities affected by war in the region. Through this organization, he helped hundreds of students from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and surrounding areas pursue higher education, and worked to provide life-saving medical supplies and medicine, as well as food, clothing, and clean water, while also supporting housing needs and road construction in local communities. His leadership extended beyond this work-he collaborated with international partners such as the UN, World Food Bank, and USAID to secure emergency food and tools for villages in South Sudan, and served in various leadership roles within the South Sudanese and East African community across the United States. Alongside his wider community efforts, Stephen's compassion was also reflected in his family's care for vulnerable children; beginning in 2009, his mother and sisters opened their home in Matar to refugee children, at times caring for nearly 300, with Stephen providing much of the support to make that possible. Beyond these efforts, he made lasting contributions to the overall development of his home communities, including Gaguang Jikany, and Nasir. In addition, he worked for the Storm Lake Public School as a truancy officer and in the special needs department. Stephen's dedication, vision, and tireless efforts left a profound impact on both the communities he served in Africa and those here in the United States, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Left to cherish his memory include his wife, Sarah Nyariek Both of Storm Lake, Iowa; children: Nyalib Chambang, Marnaa Chuol, Yik Chambang, Nyasunday Chambang, Nyapal Chambang, Mabiel Chambang, Nyantut Chambang, Chambang Chambang; sisters: Nyarieka, Nyaluak, Nyayaka; extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Chambang and Nyaliep.