Lasting Memories

Steven Richard Sommer
March 4, 1955-July 13, 2017
Menlo Park, CA

Steven Richard Sommer died in his home on July 13, 2017, in Menlo Park, California, due to complications following a valiant battle with metastatic thyroid cancer. He was 62.

Steve was born on March 4, 1955, in New York City, the second child of Sandra and the late Morton Sommer. He spent his childhood in the greater New York area and went on to study chemical engineering and business at MIT.

After a few years in the workforce, Steve received his MBA at Harvard Business School. Steve most recently served as the Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Marketing at Splunk.

Previously, he held a variety of executive positions in fast-growing enterprise software companies including SVP Marketing at ArcSight, SVP Marketing & Business Development at Portal Software and VP Worldwide Marketing at Informix. Earlier in his career he worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Steve’s zest for adventure and challenge made him a delightful father, friend and companion. His intelligence, curiosity, high-energy, humor and desire to enjoy every day live in his three adult daughters. He shared many unforgettable experiences with them—brownie baking, dog-loving, candy-connoisseuring and skydiving to name a few. His friends and associates remember him as that great guy who always had a friendly word of encouragement.

Steve is survived by his mother Sandra Sommer, his daughters, Rachel, Allison and Julia Sommer, his granddaughter Charlotte, his brother Mark Sommer, his sister Roberta Salese and their families.