Stephen Carlsen's Obituary
Stephen Erling Carlsen, age 72, of University Place, WA, passed away peacefully on March 13, 2025, surrounded by his family.
Born on February 18, 1953, in Minneapolis, MN, Steve was the first-born son of Erling and June Beverly Carlsen, and big brother of Nathan, Brian, Eric, and Matthew Carlsen. He was known for his brilliant mind, musicianship, willingness to help others, generosity, quirkiness, adventurous spirit, hard-working nature, and kind heart.
Steve was a pioneer in the software industry and left many lasting legacies in the world of computer science; he was the inventor of the TIFF file format, was on the first development team for Aldus Pagemaker, and held many patents and awards from his decades working in the computer industry at Aldus in its naissance and then Adobe when the companies later merged.
The greater part of Steve's childhood years was spent in Cumberland and Neenah, Wisconsin. He was a dedicated student, National Merit Scholar, athlete, and graduated summa cum laude and at the top of his class of 504 students at Neenah High School. He was a favorite of staff and faculty alike and was noted by his principal to be "one of the finest gentlemen I've had the opportunity to know during my 19 years as an educator."
He also found time to be a dedicated Boy Scout, receiving both the Eagle Scout medal and the Pro Deo et Patria award. After graduating from high school, Steve attended Augsburg College from 1971-1975.
He joined an LYE team, and there he met Peggy Ellingsen in 1973. They were married on June 7, 1975. After he graduated from Augsburg, Steve and Peggy moved to Dubuque, Iowa, where he started seminary at Wartburg Seminary.
Next, they moved to Bozeman, MT, and Steve started graduate school at Montana State University in January of 1976, and Peggy and Steve started their family in Bozeman in May 1977. After graduate school, Steve pursued a career in mathematics and computer programming. He and Peggy and their daughter Kristin moved to Burnsville, MN, then to Columbia Heights, where Kimberly was born, and then to Eden Prairie, where Bethany was born.
Steve worked for Search Institute, Honeywell, CPT, and DMI during these years, and was respected for his keen ability to write innovative software. In 1986, the family moved to Issaquah, WA, when Aldus Corp. of Seattle recruited Steve as one of the pioneering brains in the software industry.
Steve worked many years for Aldus and later Adobe, and made a tremendous impact and lasting legacy in the computer science industry (Wikipedia page coming soon). Peggy and Steve divorced in 2002.
Steve had a deep love for music and was an extremely talented and dedicated musician, namely in classical piano and singing in various choirs and musical groups over the years, but also trumpet and guitar. He was known for being "wowed" by Bach Preludes and Fugues (or really anything Bach!) and being a baritone in the choir with the gift (or curse?) of perfect pitch.
He loved Bach because of its strong mathematical themes; Bach seemed to make perfect sense to him, and he could sit at the piano working out a particularly difficult passage until he could play it perfectly. He inspired all 3 of his daughters to play classical piano and sing, and was their first piano teacher. At home, Steve either had music in his headphones or blasting loudly in the living room, and he had a wonderfully eclectic passion for various types of music.
He instilled this deep passion for music in the rest of his family. He also loved trips to the ocean and especially tide pooling on the Great Pacific Northwest Coast. He kept on top of when the lowest tides of the year would be and timed his tide pooling visits accordingly. He was fond of watching hummingbirds, was a fantastic amateur photographer, and he loved a great thunderstorm!
He taught all three daughters to drive a stick (with unending patience!).
Stephen is survived by his daughters Kristin (Tom), Kimberly (Alex), and Bethany Carlsen (Greer), his grandchildren Aine, Théo, Colette, Fern, and Olin, and his brothers Nathan (Nan), Brian (Jolanta), Eric (Laurie), and Matthew (Akiko).
Steve didn't wish to have a memorial service in his honor, but a celebration of life was held in person while he was still with us in Tacoma, WA on March 11, 2025.
Family, friends, and loved ones are encouraged to share memories or anecdotes here about our beloved Steve. "Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like bananas." "What's the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? 42."
What’s your fondest memory of Stephen?
What’s a lesson you learned from Stephen?
Share a story where Stephen's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Stephen you’ll never forget.
How did Stephen make you smile?