Stephen Edward Rackleff

1940 - 2023

Stephen Edward Rackleff passed away peacefully on December 20, 2023 in Palm Springs, California, surrounded by loved ones. Born July 6, 1940, in Omak, Washington, and raised in Santa Ana, California, the Yucca Valley resident lived a life of freedom and adventure. Steve liked to surf San Onofre, Dana Point and Huntington Beach, drag-race cars at the old Army Air Base in Santa Ana, California (now the John Wayne Airport), fly sail planes near Lake Elsinore and race his motorcycle in the Mojave Desert. In high school, Stephen learned how to repair cars from his stepfather, who owned the Texaco station in Fountain Valley where Stephen worked part-time.
After graduating high school, Stephen started his career as an R&D development technician at AstroData in Anaheim, where he prototyped and built amplifiers for the Disneyland attractions "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" and "Enchanted Tiki Room."
On October 4, 1957, the Russians sent up the first satellite ever launched, Sputnik, beating the US into space and starting the Space Race. Stephen transitioned to assembling time-code generators for satellite networks needed to track rockets and satellites.
As the aerospace industry emerged in the '60s, Stephen took a job at TRW's 600-acre hazardous test site off the Ortega Highway in Orange County.
During the Apollo 13 mission popularized in the Hollywood movie "Apollo 13," Stephen ran the electronics and data acquisition systems on eight LEM engines, saying "The LEM exceeded by 100 times what it was built for. Our team worked continuously for three days, sleeping on air mattresses under work benches. Two weeks later, the three astronauts - James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise - came to the test site in person to thank us for saving their lives!"
In the 1980s Stephen worked on the STAR WARS defense system at the White Sands Missile Range. In 1989, he participated in a historic presentation for 20 Russian laser scientists to demonstrate the new weapons system. The continuous wave length chemical laser vaporized one meter of ¼" stainless steel in two microseconds, demonstrating such clear U.S. military superiority that within six months the Soviet Union collapsed, the wall in East Germany came down and the Cold War was over. Per Stephen. "Star Wars made all Russian ICBMs useless - because of the Star Wars laser system, the Russians began lobbying "Space for peace."
Stephen next designed the biological isolation enclosure at TRW for the first moon rocks then housed in Houston, Texas.
Stephen finished his career at TUV in San Diego, working with new electronic medical devices brought to market, testing for immunity and emissions just prior to their release.
Stephen loved classic cars and owned a restored 1967 Chrysler 300 convertible. He maintained seven cars and trucks with his favorite being his 2004 Corvette.
Steve always prioritized his family and his faith above all else. Baptized in 1968 at the age of 27 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Steve remained an active member of the church throughout his life. He served as an ordained High Priest and Seventy, and was a Scout Master for over twenty years, leading youth on adventures locally in Southern California and in the Sierra Mountains.
In 2012, Stephen and his second wife, Fran, got married and moved from San Diego to Yucca Valley to retire on a horse property.
Sealed in marriage to his second wife Frances Land Calvert in 2021 at the Redlands Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Stephen and Fran enjoyed serving together as Temple and Family History Consultants in the Onaga Trail Ward and made frequent visits to the LDS Temple in Redlands, California.
In spite of all the historic events and adventures Stephen was a part of, he always kept a humble perspective on life, saying, "I was so blessed to live in a very special time and place in U.S. history where my God-given talents and abilities could be put to good use. I'm just a little cog in a big wheel. I want future generations to know what that time in history was like."
Stephen is survived by his second wife, Frances Calvert Rackleff, and children Bryan Rackleff of New York and grandson Ethan; Neal Rackleff and wife Christa Fjelsted of Houston, Texas, and grandchildren Eve Pearce, Annie Rackleff Jones, Stephen Edward Rackleff II and Karen Rackleff; Amy Lynn Handal and John Handal of Menifee, California, and grandchildren Tye Handal and Kenzy Handal; Marlo Rackleff of Oceanside, California, and grandchildren Snow and Devlin; and Paul Rackleff and wife Leeann of Montrose, Colorado, and grandchildren Emelye, Breece and Cormac Rackleff.
Memorial services will be held for Stephen at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 56885 Onaga Trail, Yucca Valley, on January 13, 2024, at 11 a.m.
For a full profile of Stephen, go online to http://tinyurl.com/48t6vzav.