Stephen Chadwick Hams, 74, passed away peacefully at home while surrounded by his beloved family on Sunday, September 22, 2024, in Los Altos, California. Stephen was born on August 30, 1950 to Helen Hams and Don Hams in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He had a very loving and active childhood with his sister and brother in Michigan and then in Illinois and Arizona, during which he developed his lifelong love of sports, learning, and family.
While completing his undergraduate studies, Stephen moved to the Bay Area in 1971 and began teaching. He soon landed a dream job at the Albany Children’s Center, where he fatefully met the love of his life, Denise. Their relationship, described by both of them as love at first sight, blossomed quickly and burned bright for fifty years. Family was everything to Stephen. He always said he was the luckiest man in the world to come home every day to Denise and their three children, Lauren, Brett, and Taylor.
Stephen received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan in 1979. After spending the first twelve years of his business career at Hewlett Packard, he went on to lead Human Resources at several organizations throughout the Bay Area including General Magic, Kyphon, and the Skoll Foundation. He was also a committed volunteer in his community, focusing on environmental issues, the arts, and educational equity. He was particularly passionate about his work with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which he devoted his time to for a decade. He brought his compassionate and generous spirit everywhere he went.
He was an incredibly devoted and loving father and would move mountains for his children. One of the best examples of his fatherly devotion occurred after his eldest daughter, Lauren, became passionate about basketball. Growing frustrated that there wasn’t an opportunity for women to play professionally at home in the US, he took a leap of faith, left his job, and co-founded the American Basketball League in 1995.
He is survived by his children and their partners: Lauren and David Dressler of San Diego, CA, Brett Smith-Hams and Cayden Halligan of Mt. Laurel, NJ, and Taylor Smith-Hams and Michael Albert of Baltimore, MD; his grandchildren, Darby, Cabot, and Caspar; two grand dogs, Birdie and Dorothy, and grand cat, Franklin; and of course, by his beloved wife Denise Smith-Hams. He is also survived by his sister Marcia Hams, and her spouse Susan Shepherd of Cambridge, MA; his sister-in-law, Carmen Hams of Denver, CO; his nephews Peter Hams of Cambridge, MA and Mauricio Ponce of Denver, CO and his niece Alejandra Hams of Denver, CO; his extended family, and his close friends. He was preceded in death by his brother Brad Hams.
He will always be with each of us. We will especially think of him when we play games together, go on hikes, watch sports (and yell at the tv), eat pancakes, and make silly dad jokes. He will live on in our lives as we honor his memory by striving to live life to the fullest, following our hearts, cultivating love and joy, having fun, laughing often, and remembering that family is everything. His memory is a blessing, his life was a blessing, and he will be terribly missed. He has all our love, always.
There will be a graveside ceremony for immediate family members this week, and a celebration of life sometime early next year.