Steven Philip Barger

Steven Barger, adored and devoted father and husband, accomplished musician, admired engineer, activist and beloved family man who strove to help people better their lives, died on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 in Santa Barbara surrounded by family. He was 50.

Strong. A fighter. Steven had been battling Glioblastoma brain cancer since last summer 2017. He fought valiantly leaving no stone unturned and brought awareness to the disease through the Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2.org) Over the Edge Challenge.

He was born on April 20, 1968 in Bryan, TX to Lt. Col. Philip and Diane Barger and grew up in Penryn, CA. He graduated from Del Oro High School, Loomis, CA in 1986 where he was a varsity wrestler, academic decathlon scholar and started his own garage band. A natural in math and science, he received a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UCSB in 1990. He met his soulmate Geri during freshman year at UCSB where they formed a rock band. After college, Steven worked in the LA area in software development and testing for DreamWorks and IBM, and eventually moved back to Santa Barbara where he worked for QAD, Citrix, and LogMeIn.

A man of few yet profound words, he was an avid activist and volunteer at heart. He worked with underserved youths in LA and supported local and international aid groups. A passionate musician, Steven played 3 instruments and recorded 2 albums of original music with Geri and with their band Brooding Angel. He passed on to his daughter Nicole his love of the ocean, skiing, camping, hiking, traveling, music and comics.

Steven is survived by his wife Geri, daughter Nicole and siblings Doug, Stephanie, Richard, Cindy, and Bob all of whom will continue Steven’s mission of helping others.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at UCSB, Corwin Pavilion. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Steven’s memory to Transition House of SB.