Stephen A. Rathkopf died peacefully in his sleep on August 17, 2021, at the age of 91. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley, and leaves surviving four children – Jim, Carolyn, Charley, and Ted – along with eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Daren, of Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

The Captain was born in New York and graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York in 1952. While stationed with the US Navy in San Francisco, Steve met his wife Shirley, and they were wed in 1956. After several years residing in southern California, Steve and Shirley settled down in Palm City, Florida where he helped manage a Hobe Sound flower farm. In 1968, Steve returned to sea for the rest of his career as a tanker captain for the Keystone Shipping Company, becoming Commodore of the Keystone fleet prior to his retirement.

The Captain was happiest when sailing Hobie Cats, fiddling with the latest tech device, or fishing and relaxing at his boyhood cottage on Devil Lake, Ontario. During his retirement years Steve became an expert cribbage player. Steve lived many years in Palm City on the St. Lucie River, then Cumming, Georgia, on Lake Lanier, and in his later years in Seattle, Washington, where he shared a house overlooking the Puget Sound, with his son, Charley, and his family.

The family looks forward to gathering in the near future to reminisce about Steve and his many tales about the sea.