Stephen Anthony Krippner

Stephen (Steve) Anthony Krippner, who deeply loved his wife, family, friends and the outdoors, was born on December 15, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois to Ralph and Mary Krippner (Mielke), the fourth of their five children. His family lived in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Germany before they settled in Moline, Illinois.

Coming from an outdoorsy family, Steve became a leader in his Boy Scout Troop and proudly earned the Eagle Scout rank. He also spent four summers guiding canoe trips and counseling disadvantaged youth in the Minnesota Boundary Waters. He graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in May 1990, majoring in Geography.

Steve and his college sweetheart, Linda Krippner (Renneke), were married on September 1, 1990 at the college's Ascension Chapel and together began a life of delighted commitment and adventure.

Steve wore many hats. He was an outdoor adventurer, a geographer, a researcher, a peace maker, a counselor, and above all, a true friend and guide to many people throughout his rich life. Steve's biggest adventures began when he joined Augustana's Dr. William Hammer's 1990-91 expedition to Antarctica where they excavated the first ever dinosaur find (Cryolophosaurus ellioti and Glacialisaurus hammeri) on the continent of Antarctica. Then he convinced his new wife to join him for two long, dark winter seasons supporting science projects at the USA McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

Always an independent thinker, he reinterpreted orders to stay away from the newly arrived Global Positioning System (GPS) units, learning their ways to use them for Antarctic Search and Rescue (SAR) training exercises. This paid off when he used them as a leader on the SAR team to find people and save lives during a multi-day winter storm with extreme winds and white out conditions. Time on the Ice was followed up with months of bicycle touring and hiking with Linda, mainly in New Zealand and Australia.

Steve and Linda found home in Washington State, a place with mountains and waters that ideally suited them. Steve attended Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, receiving his Master of Science in Resource Management in 1996. Moving to Seattle, he worked as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyst, then a manager for King County's Metro Transit GIS team in Washington State for 15 years. He was an avid bicycle commuter and loved convincing and coaching others to enjoy bike commuting. He left King County to join his wife at Krippner Consulting, LLC where he worked with her in Western Washington another 14 years on wetland studies and habitat conservation plans that have resulted in many acres of land being restored and conserved long term for the health of our planet earth.

He was also an owner and the manager of 2BD2, LLC, where he and his colleagues designed and developed the Rainwedge, a leading and innovative golf bag rain cover.

Steve and Linda relocated to Anacortes, Washington in 2018 and spent many happy hours hiking and kayaking right out of their front door.

Steve's passion for outdoor adventure led to many days walking, hiking, bicycling, kayaking, and camping, especially with Linda, and with dear friends and family. Steve especially loved planning and leading challenging epic adventures like climbing nearby mountain peaks; paddling for weeks in the inland waters of British Columbia; bicycling across the US on a recumbent tandem; and backpacking in western US mountain ranges up to 19 days at a time. In his lifetime he traveled extensively on all seven continents.

Steve was also known for his aptitude and interest in researching outdoor gear, technology, and home upgrades and generously shared this knowledge with friends and family.

He valued and deeply enjoyed his connections with his family and a wide circle of friends of all ages. Steve and Linda were a great team and their hospitality was legendary. Who can forget their annual power-tool pumpkin carving & pizza parties or their many impromptu backyard gatherings at their Ballard home? They also prioritized the young people in their lives, mentoring them in many ways. Steve was always quick to offer a story, a specialized pun for the occasion and food and drink. His happy smile and incredible sense of humor never left him.

Steve died of cancer on February 12, 2026, with his initial diagnosis being in early 2019. Steve is predeceased by his father, Ralph Krippner. He is survived by his mother, Mary Krippner; wife, Linda Krippner; brother, Philip Krippner (Frances McClure); sisters, Carina Krippner (Cindy Abrahamson), Kerstin Cathcart (Paul), and Margaret Schoonmaker (Kevin), father and mother-in-law, David and Donna Renneke, sister-in-law, Sharon Tuinukuafe (Kaafi), brother-in-law, John Renneke (Sarah) and numerous, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Steve's Celebration of Life will be at Anacortes Lutheran Church, 2100 "O" Ave, Anacortes, WA, starting at 3:00 pm on April 11, 2026. The service will be livestreamed and available online at the Anacortes Lutheran Church website at https://www.anacorteslutheran.org/online-ministry for approximately one month following the service. The Skyline Clubhouse, 6041 Sands Way, Anacortes, WA, will be open for family and friends to gather and visit from 9 am to 10 pm that day, before and after the service and burrito bar at Anacortes Lutheran Church. Dress attire will be casual.

In lieu of flowers. memorials in Steve's honor may be made to Skagit Land Trust or Anacortes Lutheran Church.