Stephen Ewing Ronfeldt

On December 1, 2018, Stephen Ewing Ronfeldt passed away at his home in Berkeley after a long battle with cancer. He was 76 years old. In September, Steve was awarded the 2018 Loren Miller Legal Services Award for his fifty years on the front lines fighting for low income people across the country and for his mentoring of many passionate advocates like himself. He graduated from Boalt Hall in 1967 and was immediately part of LBJ’s war on poverty being trained as a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow. In 1996, after years in Legal Services, he co-founded the Public Interest Law Project in Oakland. Steve was born on October 28, 1942 in Pomona, CA to Louis and Emily (Lyon) Ronfeldt. After growing up in Claremont, CA, he attended Whitman College where he was student body president and a Northwest District NAIA singles and doubles tennis champion. Steve was honored as an Alumnus of Merit in 1996. At Whitman, he met his wife of 53 years, Suzy.

A fine athlete. Steve was nationally ranked in tennis just a year ago. With family, he loved hiking in Yosemite, backpacking in Desolation Valley, swimming in the Pacific, and skiing in the Sierras. He leaves behind Suzy, three children – Lara, Heidi (Orion Weiner), Matthew (Meera) and six grandchildren – Michael and Maria Javier, Kai and Mia Weiner, Kamari and Avalina Ronfeldt. He is also survived by his brother, David, and his sister, Helen Donovan.

There will be a Celebration of Steve’s Life at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, in Berkeley on Saturday, December 15th, at 10:00 am.