Phillip Todd Stein

Born on November 2, 1962 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Phillip Lived a life marked by creativity, compassion, and unwavering dedication to those he loved. From an early age, Phillip demonstrated a passion for learning and athletics. Most notably his academic journey in Riverview, Michigan is where it really began. At Seitz Junior High School and Riverview Community High School he was an avid swimmer and diver. Phillip was awarded for the Boy's Varsity Swimming Team in 1977 and recognized by All G.L.8 Great Lakes Eight Association in diving in 1978. He was also a ribbon holder from other organizations such as The Suburban Swim League, Milan Little Red Relays, and Riverview Swim Club. Thus, living up to his nickname "Flipper". In 1978 the Stein family moved to Southern California where he graduated from Hillview High School in Tustin in June of 1980. He later studied mathematics at Santa Ana College in 1989.

These academic pursuits laid the foundation for a distinguished career in fabrication and design. He started his career at Compositeik in Southern California where he would meet his wife and mother of his children, Barbie. Together they switched companies and started working at Omohundro which brought them both to Carson City, Nevada. Phillip and Barbie got married, built their first home and started their family. While in Nevada Phillip went on to work for Ratech, where he contributed to several notable projects, including the Silver Legacy Dome located in Reno, Nevada. This dome is named the largest composite dome, and houses Nevada's mining themed attractions, while serving as one of the most distinctive features of the Reno skyline. Another notable project was The Walt Disney Sorcerer's Hat that used to stand in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida. This was installed in 2001 as part of the "100 Years of Magic" celebration honoring Walt Disney's 100th birthday. Furthermore, Phillip was apart of building the AquaSphere fountain at the entrance of Tokyo DisneySea in Japan. A rotating globe that represents the Earth and symbolizes the park's theme of exploration and adventure across seas. Lastly, and most notable, was the Mars Exploration Rover Project. Phillip was awarded a certificate of recognition for outstanding performance and lasting contribution to the success of the Mars Exploration Rover Project Lander Structure Fabrication and Assembly.

Phillip and his family moved to Elk Grove California in 2009 where he started working for L3 Communications as the composite supervisor. Here he would build radome structures for various military, aerospace or satellite applications. In his last and most recent years he worked at Applied Aerospace Structure Corp. where he had his most prized accomplishments. Here he was a supervisor over the SpaceX group who worked on incredible projects like The Falcon 9; a two-stage rocket designed for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth's orbit and beyond. It is the most-launched American orbital rocket in history. Phillip also worked on Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin Rockets; used for suborbital flights, and orbital missions. Most honorable was the role he played in the SpaceX Crew Dragon "Occupy Mars" mission - an achievement that reflected his dedication to innovation and exploration.

In the midst of his notable career, Phillip, along with other parents came together to form an organization called FEAT or Families for Effective Autism Treatment while living in Carson City, Nevada. Inspired by his daughter Rose- who was diagnosed with Autism at 15 months, Phillip founded and was President of this organization- offering a network of support where families in the Carson Valley could meet and discuss issues surrounding autism and treatment options. He wrote "Rose has been picked for us; she has a long stem with many thorns, and a beautiful bud just waiting to blossom. We are learning to navigate around the thorns, and can see the beautiful flower that is our Rose".

What brought Phillip the greatest joy in life was spending time with his daughters, Christin and Rose. He was Christin's biggest fan, rarely missing one of her softball games. Weekends were filled with travel tournaments all over Nevada and California, and he was always there, cheering from the stands with pride, love, and unwavering support. With Rose, weekends were often "daddy and daughter" adventures to the movies, shows, arcades, and countless road trips. Wherever Rose wanted to go and whatever she wanted to do, he did it with a full heart and the biggest smile, creating memories filled with laughter and joy. Time spent with his wife Barbie was full of love, laughter, and adventure. The home they built together from the ground up became a reflection of their love, partnership and beautiful family they created- raising wonderful children and navigating life side by side. Together they enjoyed family camping trips, watching the kids ride dirt bikes and quads in the Nevada desert, trips to Disneyland, and most importantly standing together learning and advocating for autism. In Phillip's later life he met his girlfriend Anita. They loved traveling and exploring new places, whether it was enjoying a bike ride along the coast of Half Moon Bay, camping and spending time in the mountains of Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, or traveling afar to the warm beaches of Mexico and Hawaii. The beach and the mountains was always his happy place, he truly was one with nature. Spending time by the ocean, where he could be found swimming in the sea or relaxing in the sand or taking in the fresh air and solitude of the mountains. Lastly, we can't forget to mention his joy for preparing or enjoying a good home-cooked meal, a stiff drink, a cigarette, and watching the Raiders lose, all in the comfort of a place he called home.

More than anything, he will be remembered for the love he had for his family and the joy he brought into every moment. He was always smiling, always laughing, always making jokes- bringing warmth and happiness to everyone around him. His laughter, kindness, unconditional love, selflessness and gentle spirit will be deeply missed and forever cherished. He is remembered by his wife Barbie; daughters Christin and Rose; stepson Andrew; partner Anita; sisters Darcy and Suzanne; brothers Michael, John and Benjamin Tyler; cousin Barry; nephews, Kelsey, Wyatt, Tyler, Michael, and Marshal; nieces Shannon and Sammy; great-nephews Miles, Taylor, Rylan, Eli, Liam, and James; and great-niece Georgia. Phillip was preceded in death by his father Gerald Donald Stein; mother Anne Louise Harrison; uncles Robert Stein and William Harrison; aunt Helen Brickey; and grandparents Josephine and Joseph Stein, Therese and William Harrison.

A memorial service and ash spreading ceremony will be held at 12:00 PM on November 2, 2025 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Lake Tahoe. A Celebration of Life will follow at 1:30 PM at 723 Lincoln Highway, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448. Contact family members for meeting details. May his memory bring comfort to all who knew him.

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