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Stephan Fagerquist
October 26th, 1957 - April 17th, 2020
October 26th, 1957 - April 17th, 2020
It is with great sorrow that the family of Stephan Fagerquist announces his sudden passing on April 17, 2020, in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Stephan A. Fagerquist was born October 26, 1957, in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Harry Walter Jr. and Carole (Clifford) Fagerquist. Steve grew up in Winthrop and Acton, Massachusetts, and later Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, where he graduated from Colegio Arubano high school as valedictorian. He earned bachelor of arts degrees in German and Political Science from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in 1979. He earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Boston University in 1997 with high honors. Steve served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 until 1987. He then served in the U.S. Navy Reserve until 1994, retiring as a lieutenant commander. Steve worked at Teradyne from 1989 until 2018, when he retired as vice president of Human Resources. He was well-liked by his colleagues and made many close friends during his time there.
Steve’s military service and his work at Teradyne allowed him to travel the world and live abroad with his family in Gaeta, Italy; Munich, Germany; and Shanghai, China. Steve had a talent for languages and spoke German, Dutch, and Papiamento, and also studied Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, and Chinese. Steve continued traveling, making many trips to California to soak up the sunshine with his daughter, Kasey; to Virginia to enjoy time with his son, Keith; and to Chicago to visit his close companion, Lisa.
Steve and his wife, Heidi, amicably divorced in 2015 but continued to be friends the remainder of his life.
Steve’s many interests included history, especially the American Civil War, politics, and genealogy, taking pride in documenting his family history through photos and videos. An avid sports fan, he organized, coached, and played for many years on an “over 40” baseball team, The Nashua Tigers. He loved painting and found inspiration from many places but especially in the scenic beauty of New England. He spent countless hours in galleries discussing art with Kasey. He enjoyed a wide range of music from classical to the Beatles and played the acoustic guitar for the majority of his life. He passed down his passion for music to Keith.
He volunteered his expertise and time to the Wyakin Foundation, teaching and assisting severely wounded and injured veterans prepare for successful careers after the military. Not only were his training sessions and workshops perpetually voted the most popular and effective each year by the veterans in the program; but his personal involvement and thoughtful mentoring resulted in the successful transition of warriors back into the private sector at a rate that far exceeded the national average. His impact on the Wyakin Warriors and their families was inspiring, and the bond he made with so many of them was strong and everlasting.
Steve is survived by his daughter Kathryn “Kasey” Fagerquist of Los Angeles, California; son Keith Fagerquist of Alexandria, Virginia; his companion Lisa Buesser and her daughter Kylie of Center Tuftonboro, New Hampshire and Chicago, Illinois; former spouse Heidi F. Hatfield and mother-in-law Dr. Susan Hatfield, both of Sioux City, Iowa; brothers and sisters-in-law Bill and Patsy Fagerquist of Port Jefferson, New York; Rob Fagerquist of Perryville, Alaska; and Harry “Bud” and Misako Fagerquist of Canton, Michigan; aunt Linda Fagerquist of Kingwood, Texas; nephews Joseph and Nicholas Fagerquist; niece Emily Fagerquist, and a host of friends and relatives.
A Celebration of Life and final resting at Arlington National Cemetery will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Wyakin Foundation at www.wyakin.org and to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at www.afsp.org
His family asks that you all take care of yourselves and each other during this difficult time in the world. If you are struggling, please reach out to family, friends, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
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Resting Place
Arlington National Cemetery
38.87832519999999, -77.068671
Tributes
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Kathy Koutroubas
I have thought of Steve off and on over the past few months and wanted to finally write something. I worked with Steve for many years at Teradyne and reported directly to him when I was in Nashua. I will never forget when I was out on maternity leave and my husband at the time, lost his job. Steve gave me the opportunity to work nights so I could keep things afloat while still being home with my daughter. A few months ago when the HR team met to share memories, I was moved by the fact that many of us shared similar stories with examples of his flexibility and support to his HR team. Steve and I both enjoyed the challenge of solving problems and finding solutions using technology such as databases and excel. We were the geeks in the group who shared a laugh over this type of work and appreciated that we understood each other. He was fondly called the guru and I am so grateful for all he taught me; how he coached me and gave me opportunities to grow my career at Teradyne. He was always so knowledgeable and interesting to talk to and share a laugh. I am so lucky that he was such a positive influence on my life and will be forever grateful for his friendship.
Bud Fagerquist
Suzanne Xydias
Second photo
Bud Fagerquist
Jackie Baker
Steve and I met at Teradyne in 2006. I was working in operations and he and I landed on a project together. By the end of that project, Steve approached me and asked if I would consider a career change to come work for him in HR. Of course I had not and of course I did! That was the kind of person Steve was, easy to trust and to take a leap of faith with. It is hard to imagine the trajectory of my career and my life if he had not seen something in me that I had not seen in myself. So many memories of world-wide travel together, so many shared meals and so many stories in the decade that followed. Like the time we were in Japan. Steve was looking for a Happy Buddha statue to bring home but was not finding what he was looking for. Laure Avril and I were heading to Kyoto so he asked us to select a Buddha for him…no pressure right? He gave us a budget and assured us that he would be thrilled with what ever we selected. What we did not realize was that we would be Buddha shopping in the middle of a typhoon and that we would select a nearly 10LB stone Buddha that would have an epic journey through Japan and back to New Hampshire in my hand luggage. I can picture Steve laughing with delight at the Buddha and the story. Another memory is when Ken and I were on vacation in Yellowstone National park when the government (and the park) shut down. It was a particularly challenging time while Ken was in treatment for cancer and Steve was worried about us. He tracked us down and we ensured him we were having a fantastic time ‘winging it in Montana’. The next day we got a text from Heidi. Steve had shared our predicament and she passed along a recommendation for a Wolf sanctuary/bed and breakfast (the Howlers Inn) that ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. That was Steve…he always seemed to know where I was at…literally and figuratively. He had an uncanny way of knowing when to listen to me work out my process and when to offer encouragement or advice. I remember he asked for a picture of the wolves in the snow so he could paint them one day. I don’t know if he ever got to that one. What I do know from years of stories is how much he loved his extended family, how proud he was of Keith and Kasey and the other kids he mentored along the way, how deeply he cared for his Teradyne family and how committed he was to his community. I will be forever grateful for all that he taught me, the gifts he shared with me and allowed me to share with him. I will hold an image of him with a paintbrush in his hands and a smile on his face.
Suzanne Xydias
Steve was my supervisor for 10 + years at Teradyne. He was a great friend and mentor for me and gave me many opportunities to grow my career. I have many memories and instances that I will not forget. He was gracious, quirky and always so interesting! He always had a story, and had a great way of delivering it! He will always be an important person who was in my life. Sharing two pics from golf tournaments that Bill and I played with him! Never forget you Steve, thank you for everything you gave me...
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