DeWalle, Stephen O.

Stephen O. DeWalle, 62, of Winter Haven, Fla., formerly of Cedar Rapids, passed away Tuesday, June 26, 2012, at Winter Haven Hospital. A memorial service celebrating Steve's life will be held at a later date.

He is survived by his children, Shane (Rachel) DeWalle of Marion and Sondra (Ryan) Teslik of Amana; grandchildren, Madden DeWalle, Selina Teslik and Elijah Teslik; sister, Mary Ann (John) Hudecek of Columbus, Ind.; brothers, David DeWalle of Marion and Thomas (Wendy Toyama) DeWalle of Glen Ellyn, Ill.; several nephews, nieces and cousins; and his first wife, Angela (Prescott) DeWalle of Amana.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Orvin and Helen DeWalle; his second wife, Debra (Croucher) DeWalle; a sister, Marlene Riha; and a nephew, Elliott DeWalle.

Steve was born Oct. 14, 1949, in Cresco, Iowa. He graduated from Malcolm Price Lab School in Cedar Falls and from Kirkwood Community College. He also attended Southwestern Community College in Creston, where he studied photography and film production. Steve then worked in Cedar Rapids for Lippisch Design and Type II Design for several years. In 1992, he moved to Columbus, Ind., and then to Winter Haven in 2001. He was a Civil War enthusiast and enjoyed watching movies and reading history books and novels.

Memorials may be sent in his name to the Civil War Trust to preserve historic national battlefields at www.civilwar.org

Published June 29, 2012 in The Gazette