STEPHEN "STEVE" L. DIGGS was born in Winchester,
IN in 1946. He passed away in Rowlett, TX on July 7,
2023, surrounded by his family.
Steve grew up in a small, rural community in Indiana
where he enjoyed spending time with his grandfather,
who taught him the value of hard work and being
grateful for what you have. Steve always had a
curiosity of how things were built & what made them
work. He had an uncle who gave him an engineering
kit as a young child inspiring a love for engineering
that continued throughout his education and shaped
his career. Steve attended Valparaiso Technical
Institute from 1967 to 1970. During this time he
met his future wife, Mary, at the dunes of Lake
Michigan on a blind date. After graduating in 1970,
Steve and Mary married and moved to Oklahoma City.
In 1971, they moved to Dallas where they would call
home and raise their family. Steve started his career
at Western Electric (later becoming AT&T Bell Labs,
Lucent, Lineage, and GE Power) where he was a process
engineer for 43 years. Later in his career, he spent
much of his time overseeing new factory line installations
in Japan & China. His greatest professional accomplishment
was assisting his team in winning the Deming Prize for
quality. This was the first time the award had been
given to a company outside of Japan. Not many people
know that during his time in China, Steve became a
local celebrity when he starred in a vegetable wash
commercial! He enjoyed traveling throughout China and
discovering unique cities off the beaten path. This
love of travel was shared with his son and daughter
who would visit him often overseas.
Steve loved running for many years, having completed
numerous marathons. He would run in local 5K’s each
weekend and always looked forward to the Summer Series
at Bachman Lake. He also enjoyed woodworking, tinkering
on his cars, listening to classic rock and blues, and
traveling. After retirement, Steve continued his hobby
of woodworking including making furniture and pens that
he would give to friends & family. He especially loved
taking his two granddaughters out to his workshop to
explain what he was building and how he was going to do
it.
Steve loved his family very much and treasured his time
with his wife, two children, two granddaughters and three
grand-dogs. He was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd
G. Diggs and Emma L. Diggs and brother Jan. He is survived
by his loving wife of 53 years, Mary; children, Brian
(Katrina) Diggs & Jennifer Diggs; grandchildren Onabella
and Liliana “Lola” Diggs; sister Jane Bogard and brother
Max Diggs.