We miss you Steve

This from Edwin Park:
===================
I met Steve at NextWave. During the many years at Dot and TI, I have learned much from him. He was definitely excited about engineering and was always willing to stay late and give a helping hand.

What struck me most about Steve was his admonition that life is a lot more than work. During many lunches with him over the years, he would worry about how Kyle and Stephanie would grow up, anticipate his next vacation with Kathy, share his sadness about losing his mother, and be excited about his father's latest gadgets. Twenty years from now, this is what I will remember.

He was always open to trying something new, going to different countries, and trying different foods... though he always like his meat and potato.

This from Frances Park:
===================
Steve has always stuck out in my mind as really great friend. A couple of really nice memories I have include back before Edwin and I were married when Steve came over to help Edwin celebrate his birthday with a smoothy party (see picture), and when we went with him and Kyle to watch a movie on opening day. I was always thrilled to see him and his wide warm smile whether at Dot or TI or out and about. Steve, you made an impression on us and we won't forget it. Thank you.

Steve as a Role Model & Mentor

I first met Steve after joining TI two years ago. Once I got to know Steve, then I wondered how one could get away with not knowing him. I could not write any more eloquently of this, than some of the sweet and eloquent entries on this blog. But it also shows the consistency and quality with which Steve treated everyone.

The knowledge of Steve leaving us is quite unbearable as we will all miss him terribly. To have such an impact on his colleagues is a testament to all of Steve's contributions, past, present and future.

To the divine powers, as well as Steve's family and environment that shaped and supported him, I am eternally grateful for the gift of Steve. He was truly and frequently, an oasis of tranquility and inspiration to me and many others, during times of chaos and confusion.

In my own future he will continue to be a source of guidance as we covered many topics in our numerous discussions. An example of one such piece of advise from him, about a "job search mindset" impressed me so much I wrote down and emailed him, his reply was one of humble appreciation as was always his nature.

Steve, thank you so much for everything you shared with us.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Steve words of professional wisdom
Dean,
Totally awesome e-mail. I will keep this one close.
Best regards, -- Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Steve words of professional wisdom
Steve, your words were so good I had to write them down.

1) make your own world a happy one by doing what you enjoy otherwise you’re lost (so true)another way of saying get your own sh.t together before you can help some one else with theirs.

2) find an environment match not just a pay check ... eventually.

3) aim is to supplement team mates (reinforce/add skills, energy, perspective ... etc).

4) find a boss that complements personal strenghts and cancels out personal weaknesses.

--Dean

Friendly and Enthusiastic

Steve was the type of person you could always talk to. He had such a warm and friendly way about him. His passion and enthusiasm for anything he was doing is unmatched by anyone I have ever met, whether it was engineering, going to watch races, or doing something with his family. Its a rare gift and will be very missed.

He loved to think unconventionally, solve problems and help people. I remember this one problem my team was working on which needed the voltage to go lower than what the specs for a part permitted. We had started to look for a new part to fix the issue, when Steve comes to us and was all excited. He tells us what his solution is, and took the time to explain to me how he came up with it and the equations to use it. His excitement was so refreshing, and I couldn't help but smile with amazement.

I will truly miss his smile and the chats I've had with him.
~Chris

Goodbye -- Steve

Steve working with you for over 8 years I was always amazed at your energy level and enthusiasm for everything. I could not imagine how someone could get so excited about every task no matter how trivial. I will always remember the last conversation we had about raising daughters. You were so excited when you shared the pictures of your family.

Wherever you are Steve you will always be missed !


So Long.
_nitin nigam

Engineer's Engineer

I had the good fortune to work along side Steve for over ten years and I think everyone will agree he was the Engineer's Engineer. The one you could count on to dig into the toughest problems, with excitement, and solve them. He made it all look easy and fun, and it was when you had him to count on.

I've never met anyone with a greater love for electronics. An example is when we found out that Texas Instruments was acquiring Dot Wireless, I asked Steve what he thought because he was so excited. He didn't reply about money as you would think, he was so excited because his first ever electronic books were the classic yellow Texas Instruments Data Book set. He said he had always admired Texas Instruments because of those Data Books and was so excited to now be working there.

Most importantly, I can't say enough about the incredibly positive outlook Steve had on life. Even at 50 he still had the excitement you typically only see in children. Some of us even saw him actually dancing with happiness just a few weeks ago. He was most excited when speaking of his family and it was obvious that Electronics was actually far down on his list of priorities. He has inspired all of us to make this world a better place and will be dearly missed. God bless all his family.

Goodbye

The last man I talked to before heading for my vacation (end of May 2008) was Steve. As I stood complaining about TI-shutdown, his parting words were "things always happen for good". The face and words are something I will never forget.

Always

Always a bounce in his step. Always a smile on his face. Always ready to help. Always ready to stop and talk or just say hello. I did not know Steve very well, but this is what I always think of when I think of him. I am very sorry for the loss and extend my sincerest condolences to Steve's family.

A man I knew, a man I’ll miss

A kind man
A caring man
A family man
A good man.

A funny man
A happy man
A daring man
A respected man.

A terrific man
An inspiring man
A thinking man
A brilliant man.

A gentleman!
A friend and a colleague who I am privileged to have known
A face I will always remember
And forever miss.

Steve... You will be Missed

Even though I worked with Steve only for a short period at TI, Steve came across as a man with loads of fun, positive attitude and approachable anytime kinds.
It is really sad to see a man like him pass away, but I feel that he has left a large space for his admirers to remember him.
May His Soul Rest In Peace

Remembering Steve...

I first met Steve while visiting Dot Wireless for an on-site interview...he was one of my interviewers. He introduced himself as a hardware guy and we 'discussed' the little bit of hw work that I had done and it didn't take long for us to be on the same wavelength. He instantly struck me as a very likeable and genuinely caring guy and definitely influenced my decision to take the chance and move from San Jose and join Dot. I'll always remember him for having great positive energy and that same welcoming feeling is still with me whenever I remember him even today. We can all learn something from the way he lived his life and I just hope some of it rubbed off on me.

Steve, you'll be missed immensely.

So long Steve.... for now

My dear friend,

I am so honored to have worked with you since our days back in Nextwave. You have been always positive and encouraging in any situation you were in. When I saw you laugh with joy the day TI anounced the lay off of TISD, it brought me back to the time when we went through a similar big lay off by Nextwave. You just gave up your senior job in a well established company then! You took it as another big opportunity in your life venture and never looked back. I saw you were going to do it again this time.

You have accomplised a lot as an individual. What you may not have realized is that you have been a blessing to people around you. As a mentor and a friend, You are always earger to look after your colleagues.

I was shocked to hear you leave. What a great loss to us and your family. We may not see you in this life but your laughter, care and friendship will continue to encourage us. You are really missed......JC

Goodbye Steve

Steve, you've impressed me by your talent and your simplicity.
It has been a chance to meet you and I really appreciated what you brought to me, to your colleagues and to TI in general.
I share the pain of all the people that were close to you - You will be remembered!

I am at a loss for words. Knowing this wonderful ,caring, and loving man that he was will always be in my heart forever. We spoke daily, I say this because sitting at the reception desk , he had to walk by my desk to the vending machine to have his "orange juice " fix. One would think that he was a kid with a bag full of candy , he was so happy when he finally had his orange juice. If the vendor put in 50 in the soda machine, I guarantee you Steve bought 48 of them. I loved his stories of his family he was so proud of all of them , I loved it when he told me he went shopping and that for me to expect BIG , BIG packages for his family. I got the biggest kick out of the one package that he was receiving and he wanted to get home so he can can start setting up a computer for his nephew. He was always so excited he also had a way to make me laugh just his peppyness throughout the day made you wonder what was going through is head. Steve wanted to make sure that I was going to be okay and that if I needed a reference for a new job I had better use him. Our last conversation was about his motorcycle and that he was going to take some time off and ride in the country side and enjoy life just a little bit . Steve , others may toast you with a beer, my Friend , my buddy , I raise a orange juice to you in your honor. Debra

A very sad day...

What a sad day when the world loses Steve. A man that was such a loving husband, proud father, exceptional colleague, and genuinely kind person. Having had the opportunity to work with Steve for 4 years and to get to know him on a personal level, I consider myself lucky to know such a truly good person.

Through our many conversations (we were office neighbors for a while), we had the chance to chat much socially in addition to work. Not knowing a lick about hardware, Steve always found a way to break it down for me at an elementary level, even though his expertise was so high. He was admired by his colleagues, his direct reports, and especially those at the "top," which he always liked to hear. His expertise was always described as unmatched; his ability to teach, unrivaled; and his kindness, there are no words. The Dilbert HR funnies will also be missed. I still have some saved from forever ago. He used to send them to me for fun even after I left HR/TI.

But that's just the professional side.

Personally, I was always so happy to see him so happy when he spoke of his family... how great a wife he has... how amazingly proud he is of his kids... his extended family & how important they are to him. I always thought this is the way we all wish people would speak of us... so highly, so lovingly, so proud. I am so sorry for the loss his family is feeling right now. He loved his family so much. And we all know he was so excited to finally take some very long-overdue time off this summer.

My deep and sincere condolences to the entire Schossow Family.
Kristen Nicholl

Class Act

The first time I met Steve, some five years back, I was demonstrating some software to the hardware team and the feedback that I remember getting from Steve was "Cool Man!" with a sincere smile on his face. Being a young pup at the time, this simple gesture gave me a warm feeling inside and a fondness towards him.

I tell a spy story to my three kids on occasion about the recent TI site closure. The story is about a Maxwell Smart like character, that is Indian, with two incredible sidekicks. One of them is an informant and his name is Steve (based on Mr. Schossow, of course). Even as a fictional character, Steve is admired for his intelligence gathering. In the story his words are "Tomorrow is a big day".

It saddens me to know that Steve will no longer see tomorrow. However, my spirits are lifted when I think about his smile and consider that he always struck me as a person who lived for today. He was truly a class act and a wonderful mentor.

Dear friend, you will be missed. To the Schossow family, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies and understand this tragic loss.

Sincerely,
-John Chatlani

Goodbye to Steve

It is not often that one gets to meet a person of Steve magnitude.

Steve was always emanating positive energies and struck me as one of the most caring persons I ever met. As always in such sad occasions one realize the loss. This is a brutal reminder that life is precious and we should make every moment count. There is no better time to befriend and be nice to your fellow man then now. It seems like Steve lived this motto, always approachable, with a smile and abundance of patience.

I remember a little chat we had, not long ago, in which he reminded me that a person shouldn’t lose sight of the joys in life, and that taking some time off to enjoy life is really important. Such comment coming from a person known for his dedication and hard work only magnifies the roundness of his personality.

I offer my condolences to Steve’s family and friends. I carry the picture of smiling Steve in my heart. A reminder of a person I briefly knew, and I would always be looking up to.

Eldad

Sorry to see him go

In the almost two years I've worked at TI I've never experienced anything but friendliness and smiles from Steve. I sit just a few doors down the hall from him so I did see him frequently.

Chuck Cox

Good Bye from Aamir Khan

Dear Steve,

I am unable to find words to express my feelings and shock after hearing of your untimely demise. It was just last week that we were talking about potential consulting work for you; I could still remember the excitement in your voice when you said that you will take summer off and enjoy bike riding. No one would have known at that time that you will leave us like this and so soon…

I will always remember you as a good man, a decent human being and a terrific engineer – When you interviewed me almost 10 years ago at Dot Wireless, you asked me some real tough questions like how to do division in binary – man that was tough but fun. The time we spent together discussing issues and achievements at Dot wireless and then at TI; always updating each other about the families, kids education, religion, politics, living in Pakistan vs. US and best of all your plans to take the summer off for bike riding.

I am sure you will be fine where you are and I also hope and pray that God gives courage to your family to bear this huge loss.

Dear Ms. Steve and Family;

I don’t have words to describe your loss… our loss. Steve has touched so many people in his life and he will always remain close to our hearts. In this time of need pls. feel free to contact us for anything that my family and I could do for you.

Sincerely,

Aamir Khan

I've known Steve since joining Dot Wireless 8 years ago, and as everyone says he was always smiling and a pleasure to work with. We'll miss you Steve.

When hardware and software lived in harmony

My time with Steve goes back to the first incarnation of NextWave.  It was his wild-eyed, "damn the torpedos, full steam ahead" smile as he told me that he was going to join the newly forming Dot Wireless that convinced me to do the same.

I remember the day that Steve walked into the lab and stumbled upon me trying to solder something.  He promptly proclaimed that one of the things that scared him most in life was a software engineer with a soldiering iron.   In the following years, Steve spent an enormous amount of his time to help educate me and many other software folks on hardware design and debugging.  I feel that during the years that Steve was overseeing things in the lab we achieved a harmony and camaraderie between the hardware and software teams that I hadn't seen before and I haven't seen since.   What was particularly cool with Steve was that despite his wealth of experience and knowledge, he was never too proud to learn something new himself.   I think I personally tutored Steve on several occasions just how wrongly software might try to use his hardware.   Through all the years of change and crazy redirections I can't think of a single time that Steve's positive attitude ever faltered.  That is a rare gift.

I have my own soldering iron now and on the odd occasion where I get to use it I always think of Steve.   Steve, wherever you are you can rest knowing that I am making clean solder joints and I have my power supply limit set correctly.

You will be missed my friend.

Mike

Will be missed

I have known Steve for more than 7 years. He was one of the few people I talked to before I joined TISD. He was extremely jovial and always had a smile on his face. He was free-spirited and always had something funny to share. He will surely be missed.

Great Man

Steve you were a amazing man, you could always make people smile, you were a great guy and will be missed

Sincerely
Ray