Stephen "Steve" Carl Lampl

Stephen Carl Lampl died on December 27, 2022 in Bentonville surrounded by family. He was 87 years old. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on September 26, 1935 to Helen (Grossman) and Carl G. Lampl, both of whom preceded him in death as did his sister, Carol Kaufman. Over the course of his life, Steve was known for his kindness and sweet disposition, incredible optimism, strong leadership skills, dedication to community, devotion to family, great sense of humor, the sparkle in his eye every time he looked upon his beloved wife, Sandy, and a love of dogs.

A gifted athlete and natural leader, Steve graduated from Shaker Heights High in 1953 having served as captain of the tennis, track, and basketball teams. He remained an avid tennis player and golfer throughout his life, winning several tennis championships over the years. He attended Dartmouth College where he studied business, and served as president of Sigma Nu Fraternity. Upon graduation, he went to work for the family business, Lampl Fashions, a woman’s sportswear company founded by his father and uncle. Between 1957 and 1964, Steve volunteered with the Ohio Air National Guard, where he led his group on training missions to Texas and Florida, and served monthly in Akron, Ohio. He and his first wife, Nancy (Williams) married in 1958 and raised two daughters in Shaker Heights. In 1962, upon the sudden passing of both his father and uncle, Steve became President of Lampl Fashions at the young age of 26. He successfully ran the company and its six manufacturing facilities for many years, employing close to 1,000 people, including many local Clevelanders and refugees from around the world. Eventually selling the business, he relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his sister and brother-in-law, Carol and Chick Kaufman, resided. He joined Chick’s brother’s business, Guest Quarters, the first all-suite hotel business.

In 1982, he married Sandra Baker from Danville, Virginia, and together they raised her son, Chris Foster. Steve became president of the Virginia Stage Company, renovating a downtown Norfolk building into a repertory theater serving 480 patrons. In 1991, he retired and they relocated to Wyndemere in Naples, Florida. They took up painting and exhibited their art in Virginia, North Carolina, and Naples. Steve’s signature acrylic still lifes depicted floral arrangements in thick impasto strokes with vivid colors. Over his time as an amateur painter, Steve sold 150 paintings, ever the businessman.

In 2001, he and his wife purchased a home in Waynesville, North Carolina, spending the warmer months in the Smokies. There, Steve became very involved in the Haywood County arts community. He started an arts co-op in 2007, leasing a storefront on Main Street in Waynesville where he, Sandy, and 30 fellow artists exhibited their works. He also served for ten years as a board member of the Haywood County Arts Council. He initiated a fundraiser--the Young Concert Pianists Program—inviting internationally renowned pianists to perform in the community and grossing $30,000 annually for the nonprofit. Steve’s dedication to the arts grew from a childhood home infused with music, as his father was a talented pianist and successful composer who wrote ballads for the greatest crooners of his generation. Steve’s father would play piano in the home nightly for visitors, including Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone, Johnny Ray, Nat King Cole, and others. In addition to loving music and painting, Steve continued throughout his life to play championship tennis and later, recreational golf. He also loved fishing, whether casting his line along the Virginia Beach shore or bone fishing in the Florida Keys. Throughout his retirement years, Steve loved spending precious time with his children and grandchildren, taking them on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Belize and Ireland. Family traditionally gathered annually in Virginia Beach where he also spent time with his sister and brother-in-law and niece and nephew, Carolyn and David Kaufman. In his final weeks, Steve and Sandy moved from NorthCarolina to Bentonville, Arkansas, into the home of his daughter, Cathy and her husband, Keith to becloser to family. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Sandy Lampl; his daughters, Elizabeth Jo Lampl (Steve Taswell) and Cathleen G. Lampl (Keith Paul); his son, Christopher Foster; and his grandsons, Jacob Lampl Taswell, Ethan Lampl Taswell, and Jon Connor Paul. The family will hold a small private service for immediate family at Callison-Lough Funeral Home in Bentonville on Monday, January 2, 2023.