Obituary of Stephen Louis Carbone

Stephen Louis Carbone, 74, passed peacefully to the Lord on Monday, April 6, 2026 at his home in Indianapolis.   

   Steve was born in South Boston, Massachusetts on May 12, 1951, to Louis and Rita (Benoit) Carbone. He was the baby of the family, joining older sister Joyce and brother Robert. While still a young boy, the family moved to Southern California, settling in Garden Grove, not far from Disneyland. Growing up, he made many visits to Disneyland, especially when family from the East Coast paid a visit.

   Steve graduated from Santiago High School in 1969 and was a pitcher on the school's baseball team.  That same year, a little girl named Judy Piatz started first grade hundreds of miles away in Mt. Angel, Oregon.  Years later, God would bring this unlikely duo together, but more on that later.  He was a devoted son to his mother, Rita, and they enjoyed attending California Angels baseball games and horse races together.

   In December of 1969, Steve began what would become his lifelong career in the airline industry as a ramp, gate and operations agent.  He was hired by PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines). It was the airline with the slogan "Catch our Smile" because their planes always had a smile painted on the nose.  He moved around a lot, working in stations throughout California and eventually to Phoenix, Arizona.  But the Arizona heat finally got to him and when PSA opened a new station in Medford, Oregon in December of 1985, he made the move there.  Meanwhile, Judy had graduated from college in 1985 and was eager to start her career in the TV news industry.  After months of sending out resume tapes, she finally got an interview at KTVL in Medford. She got the job and moved to Medford in March of 1986. Unbeknownst to her, she moved into the same apartment building as Steve, and on the same third floor.

   A few months later, Steve approached Judy in the parking lot of the apartment complex and expressed concern for her safety as he noticed she kept her sliding door open at night (on the third floor!). That led to him leaving his business card in her door asking to go out on a date, and the rest as they say, is history.  Steve and Judy were married at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mt. Angel, Oregon on December 5, 1987, and a life full of adventure and travel began.   They honeymooned in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and over the years took numerous trips to Germany, developing close friendships and business relationships there. Some of their closest friends live in Germany.  In the 1990s they began an online business selling German nutcrackers, ornaments and other collectibles.  Steve's airline travel benefits made almost yearly trips to Germany possible for several years. Steve always hoped that one day he and Judy could actually live in Germany.  They loved the German Christmas markets and took in several in December 2012 as they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.  The trip culminated in a special dinner with friends and religious blessing in the small town of Seiffen.

   A big life change came in 1990 when USAirways bought out PSA and proceeded to close all the west coast stations.  That led to Steve and Judy moving to Indianapolis and becoming honorary Hoosiers. They embraced life in their new home, especially the Indy 500.  Steve was a race fan for years, and he quickly turned Judy into a racing nut. They attended the race in 1991, and she was hooked.  Living so close to the track, they often road their bikes there to watch qualifications. Steve worked for PSA/USAir for 42 years, retiring in 2012 after USAir contracted out the ramp.  He didn't want to commute to another city.  He was done.  In retirement he became a great cook and spoiled Judy greatly with taking care of the cooking.

  Steve was a man with many interests: bicycling, he took up golf to play with Judy's dad, computers and was self-taught in building his own computer. He could troubleshoot just about any computer problem and could spend hours on the phone talking Judy's mom through a computer problem. During a trip to Napa Valley, he developed an interest in wine and became quite the connoisseur.  He was Mr. Fix-It, and quite handy with household repairs and helping others with their problems.   

   Steve and Judy enjoyed 38 years together.  It was a blessing, but also too short.  He hoped to still make one more trip to Germany, but health issues that began developing in 2020 and the onset of the pandemic prevented that from taking place.  He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer a year ago but still managed to make one more trip to Oregon in September of 2025 for the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest.  He loved Oregon and hoped they would be able to move back there. But Oregon will be Steve's final resting place. There will be a funeral at St. Christopher Catholic Church in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, April 18th at 11am.  Visitation will take place at the church from 9am-11am and a luncheon will follow the funeral Mass.  A second funeral will take place at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mt. Angel, Oregon at 11am on April 28.  A rosary will take place prior to the funeral Mass.

 Steve is survived by his wife of 38 years, Judy (Piatz) Carbone.  He is also survived by sisters and brothers-in-law, Carolyn and Terry Connolly of Tigard, Oregon and Ruth and Phil Wehby of Brentwood, Tennessee.  He loved his nieces and nephew dearly:  Sarah, Abigail, Joseph, Maggie and Rachael Wehby and Mary Grace Connolly.  He was predeceased by his parents, sister and brother and father and mother-in-law Francis and Carol Piatz of Mt. Angel, whom he loved as if they were his own parents.  He also leaves behind his beloved sheltie, Skeeter. 

   Since Steve will not be buried in Indiana, the family is requesting no flowers for the Indianapolis service.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to St. Christopher Catholic Church in Speedway, St. Jude Children's Hospital or the Francis and Carol Piatz Scholarship Fund in Mt. Angel, Oregon.  The fund was set up to provide a scholarship to a senior at John F. Kennedy High School in Mt. Angel in honor of Judy's parents who were both longtime teachers in the school district. Donations for the scholarship fund can be sent to Mt. Angel School District Office, 730 E. Marquam St., Mt. Angel, Oregon, 97362.