Steve Wallin went to be with the Lord on September 2, 2025, with family by his side, and we rejoice in knowing that he is now at home with his Savior.
Steve was born on November 9, 1944, in Salida, Colorado, to Peter and Bernice Wallin. Most of his early years were spent in Bonanza, Colorado, and Palacios, Texas. He was proud of his roots and loved both the Colorado mountains and the open water of the bay near Palacios. In 1966, Steve married Julia (Julie) Troutwine, and they shared over 59 years together.
Steve is survived by his wife, Julie; sons, Mark (Susana) Wallin of Sugar Land, TX, and Scott (Marianne) Wallin of Shelley, ID; grandchildren, Kevin, Eva, Adrianna, Natalie, Steven, Abel, Willy, and Mandi-Joy; sister, Margaret Kana of Lake Jackson, TX; and brother, Bruce Baltar of Dillingham, AK.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter Wallin and Bernice (Wallin) Baltar, and stepfather, Ray Baltar.
Steve attended Texas A&M University and was always a proud Aggie. He later transferred to the University of Houston to accept a co-op position with NASA. His NASA career enabled him to contribute to the mission of manned space flight through work on both the Apollo program (in Houston, TX) and the Space Shuttle program (near Las Cruces, NM).
The last 20 years of his career were spent at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where Steve led various projects to “build satellites and things that flew on them,” as he often described it. His work at LANL was rewarding and included important contributions to science and national defense, but what he treasured most were the relationships he formed with his colleagues.
Following his retirement, he and Julie remained in Los Alamos, NM, where they have been active members of the community.
Steve will be remembered for his strong faith, gentle spirit, humility, ability to fix almost anything, generosity, good humor, BBQ skills, and signature cowboy hats. He loved traveling to spend time with family, especially when it involved seeing his grandchildren. Steve was passionate about giving back to his community, including through organizations such as the church, Young Life, the Los Alamos Sheriff’s Posse, Emmaus and Kairos ministries, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and many others. He often volunteered at community events, cooking at church gatherings, weddings, graduations, retirement parties, funerals, fundraisers, rodeo dinners, and more. If you saw a BBQ pit at a local event, there was a good chance he was there, taking joy in feeding people and being involved in their lives.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a donation in memory of Steve Wallin to the Young Life Los Alamos Camp Scholarship fund (donation link: https://bit.ly/YLWallin).
A memorial service to celebrate Steve’s life will be held at White Rock Baptist Church in White Rock, NM, on October 12, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. The service will be streamed for those unable to attend in person and will be available at http://www.youtube.com/@WhiteRockBaptistChurchNM.
All are invited.