Steven Craig Rathjen

Steven Craig Rathjen, 75, died on October 2, 2025 at his home in Gainesville, Virginia. He was born to Don and Betty Rathjen on November 28, 1949, in the small town of Marengo, Iowa, where he was later joined by his younger brothers, Denny and Jeff. He was devoted to sports for his entire life and played on the same Iowa Valley High School basketball team as future Drake star and decathlete Rick Wanamaker. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1972 with a degree in sociology and completed a master’s degree in systems management through the University of Southern California in 1984. Steve had a long and distinguished career working for and alongside the United States Navy. He began working for the Navy as a contracts officer directly out of college and rose to manage an elite contracts unit for the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP). He was assigned to the Washington Navy Yard in 1978 and lived the rest of his life in the Washington area, where he married his wife of 38 years, Betsy, in 1987. Subsequently, Steve worked as a contracts specialist for Rear Admiral Joseph Sansone (ret.), later becoming the CFO of Symmetron, Inc., and a senior contracts specialist for Lockheed Martin. He retired from Lockheed Martin in 2013, having earned many awards and distinctions for his work over the years. Steve is remembered by former colleagues as a kind and patient manager as well as an excellent mentor. Besides his family, Steve’s two greatest loves in life were sports and books. He was a longtime member of Pleasant Valley Golf Club in Centreville, Virginia, right up until his disease rendered him no longer able to swing a golf club. At home, he could nearly always be found watching his beloved Capitals, Commanders, Hawkeyes, and Nationals. He was proud of a large collection of notable 20th-century books and was a particular fan of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Larry McMurtry. Steve is survived by his wife Betsy Schier Rathjen, children Nate and Jamie Rathjen, brother Jeff Rathjen (Denise), nieces Allison Rathjen and Stacey Block (Kyle), and nephews Adam Hathaway (Emily), Daniel Hathaway, Jason Rathjen, Justin Rathjen (Jamie), and Zach Hathaway (Alexa). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations are made in Steve’s honor to the Kennedy’s Disease Association. .A funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 1, at 1:00 p.m. at Christ Church, 118 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, Va. A reception will be held at Old Hat, 112 N. St. Asaph Street, Alexandria, Va., following the service.

Steven Craig Rathjen

November 28, 1949 - October 2, 2025