Steven was born in Hobbs, New Mexico, on November 29, 1957. As a young boy, Steven received his elementary education at small international schools on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Before attending high school at St. Stephen’s boarding school in Austin, Steven spent a year fully immersed in Spanish at an all-Venezuelan school in Lagunillas.
As a young child, Steven was a voracious learner. His mother says she knew Steven was already reading at age two when he stopped her from turning the page in a book because she had skipped some of the text. Susi’s earliest memory of her brother was him lying prone on the bed and reading an encyclopedia on the floor.
In December 1979, he married his good friend Donna MacLean, who was originally from Trinidad. Three years later, they had their first child, Jason, and their daughter Stephanie was born in 1985.
Steven received degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and a Masters in Computer Science from Rice University. After his formal education, Steven worked in the oilfield in his family’s business in Venezuela as well as other service companies in Texas.
Steven had many fond memories of growing up in Venezuela and it was a favorite topic of his long after he moved from there. He sought out and maintained relationships with many people who shared his background, including work colleagues, fellow students and “oilfield brats” from everywhere in the world.
Eventually, Steven would stay in Houston, where he transitioned into an 18-year career of technical translation and interpretation. He started his own business, TechLanguage, and became increasingly involved with the Houston Interpreters and Translators Association (HITA). Recently, Steven had been moving into legal and court proceedings.
At HITA, Steven served on several positions of the Board including President and most recently Communications Director. He was a mentor to many young professionals, always upholding standards to an impeccable degree of quality. He was even sought out to translate a speech that was given to Pope Francis on his trip to Philadelphia.
Steven was a walking encyclopedia long before Google. He once described himself as blessed with a good memory and admitted, “I remember a lot of stuff.” This meant that anyone who asked him a simple question best be prepared to learn everything about the subject. His daughter says she used to set a 40-second timer for her father – he had to tell his story quickly or she was going to Google it.
Steven’s friends and family remember him as kind and helpful, a gentle soul who at the same time was vocally passionate about a range of topics. He was a strong defender of democracy and social rights and recently volunteered many hours in Texas political campaigns and elections. His insatiable reading continued throughout his life and he was a hound of the Internet and social media, where he sought out old friendships as well as developed many new ones. He loved a good debate, along with quirky humor, a bit of irreverent fun, and most of all his family.
Steven is survived by his wife Donna of Houston, Texas; son Jason and Sarah Marzuola of Florida and daughter Stephanie of Texas; his mother Gloria Marzuola of Oklahoma; sister Susi and husband Peter Waller of California and their children, Leona and James; his sister Carol and husband James Phillips of England and their grandchildren; brother-in-law Gregory MacLean and wife Eileen of Florida and their children Michaela, Sarah, Samantha, Nicholas and Jillian, as well as numerous extended family members.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Steven’s name to the Harris County Democratic party.
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