There are condolences waiting approval on Stefan's Tribute wall
Celebrating the life of Stefan DeClerck
Be the first to share your favorite memory, photo or story of
Stefan.
This memorial page is dedicated for family, friends and future generations to celebrate
the life of their loved one.
We ask on behalf of the family that you keep your comments uplifting and appropriate
to help all who come here to find comfort and healing.
Obituary for Stefan DeClerck
Stefan Alec DeClerck passed away June 7, 2017. He was 17 years old. Stefan was born March 31, 2000, in Mountain View, California to Alan and Erika DeClerck.
Stefan attended Cranbrook Kingswood School, where he lived in the dorms and participated in a range of academic, musical and athletic pursuits. He studied Mandarin and was recently selected as head of the school’s Computer and Entrepreneurship Clubs. As a passionate fan of Mozart and Beethoven, Stefan played trumpet in the Cranbrook Kingswood Concert Band. He was the recipient of the McCaul STEM Award and achieved Dean’s List within his Honors and AP curriculum. Stefan won a State Championship on Cranbrook Varsity Lacrosse in 2015, played CK ice hockey, and spent 2017 on the Cranbrook Varsity Sailing team.
Outside of Cranbrook, Stefan described himself as an “iOS Developer, Coding Mentor, and Entrepreneur”. He published five iOS applications on the iTunes Store. Stefan spoke with passion at TEDx about teaching his peers to improve their lives by learning to code. He produced three iOS developer courses at Udemy taken by thousands of students from around the world. Stefan loved hackathons, interned at multiple Silicon Valley companies, including HealthTap and Udemy, and looked forward to studying Computer Science and Honors Business at the University of Michigan.
Stefan’s personal qualities – courage, kindness, warmth, leadership and respect for others – underpinned all his achievements. As the youngest of four growing up in Silicon Valley, he followed his siblings into soccer, swimming and ice hockey. But his curiosity and talents would take him into areas on his own – at age 10, he became an accomplished ventriloquist, and performed for peers and schools in the Bay Area. There was no greater heart and no greater affection to come from his family, and he left his gifts with everyone he encountered.
Stefan is survived by his parents, Erika and Alan, siblings, Andrew, Keiko, and Hana and grandparents, Estela and Ricardo Ichikawa. He is also survived by his aunts and uncles, Lynn, Albert, David, Michael, Diane, James, Marianella, and Tatiana. Stefan is preceded in death by his grandparents, Florence and Albert DeClerck, Sr.
Friends may attend a visitation at Christ Church Cranbrook, 470 Church Road, Bloomfield Hills, Saturday, June 10th, 10am-1pm. A Funeral Service will be held at Christ Church Cranbrook, Sunday, June 11th at 2pm, followed by a reception at the Cranbrook Quad.
Memorials appreciated to the Stefan DeClerck Memorial Fund, c/o Cranbrook Educational Community, P.O. Box 801, 380 Lone Pine Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303-0801.
