Steven Jay Polen

Steven Jay Polen passed away January 10, 2023, in Yuma, AZ.  He was 74 years old. Steven was born December 7, 1948, in St. Louis, MO to Jay H Polen and Virginia K Polen (nee Caple), both deceased.  He leaves behind his wife of the home, Margaret, his sister Martha (Marti) DeBenedetti of Kailua Kona, HI, his brother Matthew Polen (Sandy) of Ewa Beach, HI, nieces Angelica Olmstead (Tyler), Denver, CO, Gabriella Fratta (Louis), Denver, CO, Veronica Frye (Kellen), Pittsburgh, PA and great nephew, Archer Fratta. Steven was born and raised in St Louis MO. As a young man he ran on the Ladue High School Track team. He was drafted and served as an ER Medic with the 3rd Surgical Unit in Vietnam, 1970-1972 and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. After separating from the Army, he attended UC Davis where he graduated with majors in psychology and theatre arts.  He worked as a medical supply salesman for W. R Grace in San Francisco then, in Boston, eventually returning to the Bay Area. After leaving W R Grace he and his partner started their own company, Omni Biotec, in the Bay Area. There Steve developed a prototype filtering system and then built an entirely glass encased clean room which was then used by the pioneers of the Biotec Industry.  From there he went to work for Palo Alto VA for 8 years. After a couple of years of retirement, Steve decided to move to Yuma, AZ.  He met Margaret there and they fell in love.  They eloped September 25, 2014, while in Seattle, WA. He loved Opera and Symphony, baseball, ice hockey and Steven had a great sense of humor and was apt at weaving puns into his stories. Despite his St Louis roots, he was an ardent fan of the San Francisco Giants. He will continue to be deeply loved by his sister; 14 months older than Steven.  They were great friends, the older brother of Matthew, 11 years his junior, whom he taught how to catch a football correctly and served ketchup and egg sandwiches when tasked to babysit. A soft-spoken man with a gentle soul, sharp wit, and an endless supply of puns and lousy jokes that made you laugh despite their groan-worthiness. Steve made Margaret laugh every day and was the love of her life.   He was loved and he is missed - until we meet again.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:  Military - Veterans Advocacy, P.O. Box 5253, Slidell, LA 70469- 5253.

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