Sep 23
Obituaries: Stephen Lee Crouch
BAR Staff READ TIME: 1 MIN.
March 23, 1955 – May 13, 2025
Stephen Lee Crouch died on May 13, 2025 after a valiant, decade-long fight against polycythemia vera (bone marrow disorder), then acute myeloid leukemia. Throughout his illness, Steve bore his misfortune with fortitude and quiet courage.
At an early age Steve left his place of birth, Exeter, New Hampshire, for the East Coast to live the independent, iconoclastic life that he demanded. He was in New York City at the beginning of the AIDS plague. There he joined the newly formed ACT UP, participating in protests and direct action from Wall Street to the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a photographer of ACT UP actions, sparking a lifelong interest in photography.
Steve was a multi-talented individual. When he became interested in something, he would master it, whether it was gardening, photography, or computers. He would then use his skill to earn a living and help others.
His friends are left with fond memories of his absinthe and dinner parties around his petite table rouge, discussing art, history, music, photography, world affairs, and politics, sprinkled with reminiscences of New York, Provincetown, and San Francisco, with dollops of keen social criticism, skewering hypocrisy, and pomposity with humor and insight.
He will be missed.
