Stephen C. "Steve" Gilardi

South Hampton, N.H. - Stephen "Steve" C. Gilardi of South Hampton, N.H., a kind and generous man who took great pleasure in helping others, passed away peacefully Nov. 29, 2024, at the age of 60 after a brief illness. Born in Bay Shore, N.Y., he and his family moved to Mystic, where he spent the rest of his childhood with his sister Christine and his parents, Stephen and Maureen Gilardi. He attended Naples American High School in Italy, during his junior year and then graduated from Saint Bernard High School, Uncasville, in 1981.

He went on to study electrical engineering at WPI, where he met his dearest friend, Howie Rafal. "Squeegee" (as Steve was known by his TKE brothers) was always the center of any gathering. There he was regarded as a genius; the electrical engineers in his class would stay up all night working on a problem set and then Squeegee would get up the next morning and do the whole set in an hour. His quick mind and hilarious wit would fill every room with laughter. His fondest college memories were from the time he spent with his fraternity brothers. He was deeply loved by everyone and will be sorely missed.

After WPI, he obtained his master's degree from RPI, also in EE. He worked in the software industry for his entire career, most recently for Barracuda Networks.

He met his longtime partner, Joyce Harty, over a pool table in Boston, Mass., in the early 2000s, a meeting arranged by friends. They went on to live in Wakefield, Mass., and later settled in South Hampton, N.H. Steve loved South Hampton's bucolic setting. He swore he would never leave, and he never did.

Stephen is survived by his partner Joyce; his parents; his sister Christy; his nephews, Noe and Gabriel (Abbey); and his great-nephew Alexander; as well as Joyce's family, Leigh (Chris) Walant, Joe Harty, and Alysia (Rashid) Haneef, and their daughter Elora – his honorary granddaughter. He is also survived by many much-loved aunts, uncles and cousins.

A Celebration of Life is being planned. In memory of Steve, please consider supporting the organization that cared for his cousin, the late Ellen Mary DelBroccolo, for 43 years. The People's Arc of Suffolk, 2900 Veteran's Highway, Bohemia, NY 11716; www.peoplesarc.org.