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Stephen Jay Scherr
- Published: June 10, 2021
Stephen Jay Scherr passed away May 18, 2021, in Woodbridge, Va., due to complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 62.
Steve was born in New York City, to the late Benjamin F. and Doris (Balacaier) Scherr. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Carla Scherr, and children, Martin Scherr and Ruth Scherr, all of Woodbridge; twin sister, Cheryl Doncaster (Robert), of Kettering, Ohio; brother, Laurence Scherr of Centerville, Ohio; nieces, Stephanie Cyphers (Kevin), Kayla Keen and Cassidy Fink; nephew, Jaime Keen; and great-nephews, Damian Keen and Benjamin Cyphers.
Steve graduated valedictorian from Fairmont East High School in 1976. He was an Alumni Distinguished Scholar at Michigan State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1980. After MSU, he attended Cambridge University (UK) as a Churchill Scholar, studying mathematics, and earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Yale University.
While still at MSU, Steve began working at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In 2008, after residing in Yellow Springs for 17 years, Steve moved to Lorton, Va., to support an Air Force program located there. Still an active AFRL employee, Steve had almost 41 years of service when he passed away.
Steve was a polymath, with interests too numerous and varied to list. His first love was the Cincinnati Reds and baseball, which appealed to and developed his love of statistics and data analytics. Stories are still told of the wall-long chart of Reds statistics he maintained in his childhood bedroom. But first and foremost, he was a lifelong, dyed-in-the-wool MSU Spartan.
Steve was active in Scouting, both in Ohio, with Yellow Springs Troop 78, and in Virginia, with Fairfax Station Troop 688, serving at the troop, council and district levels. He traveled extensively to national and international Scouting jamborees and received numerous volunteer awards.
Steve was extremely involved with FIRST Robotics, supporting competitions in Virginia, Ohio, the D.C. region, West Virginia, South Carolina, St. Louis, Detroit, Houston and others. He was one of two FIRST Global Head Referees and received numerous volunteer awards.
A memorial service and reception will be held at 1 p.m. on June 27, 2021, at Temple Beth Or in Kettering, Ohio.
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I knew Steve when I was at Cambridge. I don’t know why I wanted to search him down but was saddened to learn of his passing. I really enjoyed our conversations at Cambridge. He was clever and funny. He will be missed by all.
I am so sorry to read of Steve’s passing. He was a very kind and gentle person. Best wishes to Carla, Marty and Ruth.