Stephen "Steve" Larry Runyon

Stephen Larry “Steve” Runyon passed away from a heart attack on July 4, 2023. Born on November 28, 1958 in Lexington, KY, he was the firstborn child of Larry and Marcia Runyon. Steve spent his early life in Lexington surrounded by lots of Runyon family, including his grandmother Frances, who was his first and most beloved babysitter.

In 1968 his father was transferred to the new IBM plant in Austin, where Steve spent most of his life. He and his brother rode dirt bikes where Mopac is now and around the quarry lakes, and explored Austin as it grew. He was fond of remembering there being a stop sign at 183 & Burnet Rd. He was also a Boy Scout throughout his childhood, and later his sons' Cub Scout den leader.

Steve went to Lanier and Anderson High Schools in Austin. After 11th grade, IBM transferred his father to Florida, and Steve graduated from Boca Raton High School in 1976. He went to Georgia Tech, where he received his degree in electrical engineering in 1980. He loved both Atlanta and its rock music scene.

Afterwards, he moved back to follow in his father's footsteps, working at IBM for 30 years until he retired, earning a master's degree from UT Austin along the way.

Steve met Sue Davies in college, and they married in 1985 and moved to Pflugerville. They later divorced, but remained friends through the end of his life.

Steve was a big fan of family trips, first with his parents and siblings out west, and later with his children to San Francisco, Disney World, and many trips to see the family. He also enjoyed classic muscle cars, ham radio as call sign WQ5G, and learning, particularly about military and aviation history. He appreciated his frequent trips to the family’s hunting property with his children.

Steve loved when his kids excelled in school and life. They were the most important things to him, and “the best thing that ever happened” to him, and loved playing bar trivia with them in his later years. He was particularly elated to become a grandfather to Rose in 2019. He happily volunteered to try Rose's cooking experiments during their dinner and movie nights.

He is survived by his sons, David and John; daughter, Katherine; granddaughter, Rose; mother, Marcia; and siblings, Lisa and Danny.

The memorial service will be Saturday, July 29 from 3 P.M. at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar, Austin, TX 78752.

Services will be livestreamed online at https://vimeo.com/event/3569972