In Loving Memory of Steven Nathaniel Kallen

Steven Nathaniel Kallen passed away on Monday, July 24, surrounded by his family and closest friends. Steve is survived by his daughter, Alexis Kallen, mother, Shelly Kallen, and brother, Dan Kallen. He will forever be remembered by those who were lucky enough to know him.

Steve was born on September 12, 1966 in Canoga Park, California to Shelly and Arthur Kallen. After leaving Chatsworth High School, Steve became a jack of all trades, picking up skills quickly and learning to work with cars, bikes, metals, and so much more. He worked at Easyriders magazine for a few years, where he met some of his best friends.

On New Year’s Eve in 1994, Steve’s life changed forever when he met the love of his life, Lynn. The two met at a New Year’s party and quickly fell for each other. Steve’s friends liked to say that something in Steve awakened when he met Lynn. He had a newfound joy for life. Steve proposed to Lynn while hiking on Catalina Island in the summer of 1995. They married on December 31, 1995 in Camarillo, CA. Over the next few months, Steve and Lynn enjoyed spending days at their favorite place (Disneyland!), hiking throughout Southern California, and just spending time with one another.

Steve and Lynn’s love story was tragically cut short when Lynn died in childbirth on May 9, 1996. But while this broke Steve’s heart, in that moment, he made the decision to commit his life to his daughter, Alexis. Steve had never anticipated being a single dad and didn’t know anything about parenting a child with a physical disability, but he rose to the challenge. Steve raised Alexis to know that in a world that was not made for people with disabilities, she was unconditionally loved and could do anything she put her mind to. Even as Steve dealt with his unimaginable grief, he never failed to put up birthday balloons around the house for Alexis’s birthdays, leave handwritten notes from the tooth fairy, and share his love of Disneyland with her. Alexis was Steve’s entire world, and he was hers.

Steve always believed in Alexis’s dreams. He told her she could do anything she put her mind to—anything and everything he never had the opportunity to do. And he was filled with pride as she graduated from Camarillo High School, Stanford University, Oxford University on the Rhodes Scholarship, and—just recently—Yale Law School. In one of his proudest moments, Alexis gave the convocation speech to Stanford’s incoming class about her dad in which she remarked, “No matter what I do or become in this world, the greatest thing I’ll ever be is your daughter.”

When Steve was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer on November 15, 2022, he was nothing but brave and optimistic. He wanted to fight—and he did just that. Alexis immediately moved back in with him in Bullhead City, Arizona, and Alexis and Steve became inseparable once again. In short, Steve’s diagnosis was a horrible thing. But it gave Alexis and Steve time together again, where she got to show him exactly how much he meant to her, and how much he was loved.

On the afternoon of July 24, 2023, Steve passed away at home with Alexis and Dan holding his hands. This loss is unimaginably difficult, and will be painful for quite some time, but it brings peace to know that Steve is with Lynn. And we know that they are looking down at us, even now, surrounded by excited dogs, questionably road-safe motorcycles, and filled with love in their hearts. We know they’ll be incredibly excited to see Alexis again someday.

If you’d be interested in contributing to funeral and miscellaneous related expenses, your contribution would be greatly appreciated. Your contributions will help Alexis pay for a cremation and memorial, services to pick up her father's large items from the home (couches, dressers, etc.), trash services for ridding the home of other bulky items, the fee to break her lease on the house she's leasing for her and her father in Los Angeles, and her expenses to now move herself from Los Angeles to Washington D.C.

Alexis also wants us to be clear about her financial situation. She will be starting a law firm job in mid-September. While she can afford these expenses, she's been financially providing for her father for many months, which included covering many thousands of dollars of medical bills. We wanted to offer the opportunity to friends and loved ones to help Alexis with her expenses to show support, regardless of her ability to pay, because nobody should have to bury their last remaining parent at 27.

Thank you so much.