Stephen Kuiphoff, 57, of La Porte, Indiana passed away on April 3, 2022, at his home, surrounded by his beloved family. Stephen had a short battle with Creutzfeldt Jacobs Disease (CJD).
Stephen was born on June 5, 1964, in Hackensack, New Jersey to Christian and June (Hamilton) Kuiphoff. On November 4, 1989, Stephen married Lori Guros who survives with their daughters, Jessica Kuiphoff of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Amanda (Casey) Graves of Manchester, Connecticut, Megan Kuiphoff of St. Louis, Missouri; his father, Christian Kuiphoff of North Haledon, New Jersey; a brother, Kevin (Karen) Kuiphoff of Butler, New Jersey; a sister-in-law, Claire Kuiphoff of Newburgh, New York; and step-brothers, Glenn (Marjorie) Sietsma of Wyckoff, New Jersey, Ronald (Nancy) Sietsma of Mahwah, New Jersey, and Robert (Kelly) Sietsma of Midland Park, New Jersey. He was preceded in death by his mother June Kuiphoff, stepmother Alena Kuiphoff, and brother Christian Kuiphoff.
Stephen started his career as a union carpenter for Joseph A. Natoli Construction Company in Pine Brook, New Jersey. After moving to La Porte, Indiana in 1991, Stephen started work with Larson Danielson Construction Company. In addition to being a loving husband and father, Steve was a master carpenter. Examples of his work can be seen throughout Northwest Indiana. These include Wal-Mart (La Porte, Portage, Wabash), Valparaiso University, Ivy Tech (Valparaiso), Munster Hospital, Gary Airport, Hammond Civic Center, Munster High School, and many more. One of his biggest jobs included the Boeing Corporation in downtown Chicago. In 2017, Stephen joined the Holladay Construction Group as a project superintendent where he continued to bring his experience in residential, commercial, and industrial construction expertise. Throughout his career, Stephen made many friends and he always seemed to run into someone when he was out around town. He retired in 2020.
Outside of work, Stephen enjoyed renovating his 132-year-old home, gardening (winner of the Terre Verde Green Thumb Award in 2012), golfing, skiing, building, and racing R/C cars, and vacationing with his family. On the weekends, you could usually find Stephen at a home-improvement/hardware store or working in his yard. Stephen's favorite time of the year was Halloween and going “all-out” decorating for trick or treaters.
The family would like to give special thanks to Dunes Hospice for the care and compassion they provided during these past few months.
Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Frank L. Keszei Funeral Home, Essling Chapel, 1117 Indiana Avenue, La Porte, Indiana. A celebration of Stephen’s life will follow the visitation at 4 p.m. in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Stephen’s name to the Prion Alliance at https://www.cureffi.org/donate.
To light a virtual candle, share a story of Stephen’s life or leave a message of comfort for his family, please visit www.EsslingFuneralHome.com.
