Stephen T. Pickard

Stephen T. Pickard suddenly passed away on Friday, January 26, 2024 in the comfort of his home with his beloved wife by his side. He fought a courageous battle with both heart failure and polycystic kidney disease, a disease he fought since he was 16 years old. Stephen never let the disease take mental control and always said, "I'm not going to lose the days I have worrying about the days I am not going to have." When heart failure entered his life, Stephen continued this motto and strived to live his life without being held back by his ailments.

Born on December 1, 1988 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Scott Davis and Karen Christine (nee: McComiskey) Pickard, his family moved to Kyle, Texas, and eventually moved to Manhattan, Kansas, where he would grew up. Stephen moved to Olathe, a suburb of Kansas City, and this is where he would meet the love of his life, Manijéh René (nee:Tammehr), while attending Mid-American Nazarene University. They married in July 2011 and moved to Philadelphia where they resided in Old City.

Stephen worked for Freedom Pay as a systems integration analyst and managed a team for the company. Stephen had many friends and was well liked by all those whom he met either gaming, playing the role of dungeon master in an RPG, or cosplaying. Together he and his wife met friends to play online games, board games, and RPGs. Early on, Stephen competed in esports and attended conventions for tournaments. He enjoyed comic books, graphic novels, anime, and cosplaying along with Manijéh and their friends. Cosplaying was a creative outlet for Stephen and he proposed to his wife in Lord of the Rings cosplay at the KC Renaissance Faire. He was a positive role model who loved to help family and friends.

Stephen was a brilliant, intelligent, fun loving, caring and a generous man who loved to cook and try new recipes. Some of his specialties included chicken parmesagnia, pizza with a homemade crust and sauce, smoked gouda mac and cheese, ramen, and his homemade white bread. Stephen was an incredibly knowledgeable cook who never ceased to amaze with his culinary marvels that he would create in his kitchen.

Beloved husband of 12 and half years to Manijéh René (nee:Tammehr) Pickard, son of Scott Davis Pickard and Karen Christine (nee:McComiskey) Pickard, brother of Jonathan Davis Pickard, bonus son of Jane Marie (nee: Smith) (Clint) Jones and Bijan Tammehr, brother-in-law of Mojéh Marie Auld, Jaléh Marie Tammer, and Amir Tammer, uncle of Melanie, Brae and Ryan Auld.

Sadly, he will be greatly missed by his aunts, uncles, cousins, and many lifelong dear friends.

Memorial donations in his memory can be made to the Gift of Life Donor Program, 401 N 3rd St. Philadelphia, PA 19123.

To view a livestream of the service, click here.