Adviser killed in Highland Park shooting remembered as ‘kind and gentle,’ devoted to clients

Stephen Straus showed up for work each day at the Stifel Financial branch office in Chicago at an age when most financial advisers would have long been retired. It’s one of the reasons he will be remembered fondly by his colleagues — and likely also by his clients.

Straus was among the seven people killed in a shooting at a July 4^th parade in Highland Park, Illinois, where he was a longtime resident.

Straus started his career as a broker in 1968 and joined Stifel in 1998, according to his BrokerCheck profile. He appeared to have the energy and desire to continue working much longer before the tragic events earlier this week.

“He continued to serve his valued clients at age 88, not because he had to, but because he wanted to, commuting to the office each morning by train,” Stifel CEO Ron Kruszewski wrote in a memo Wednesday to the firm’s employees. “He was always willing to share ideas — an ambassador of the office. He was kind and gentle, warm hearted, and had a great sense of humor. He will be missed by all. Our thoughts are with the Straus family, as well as with the families of the other victims.”

In the memo, Kruszewski also shared a statement from Straus’ niece.

“Steve looked out for the whole family,” said Cynthia Straus. “He was like a big, big oak tree, an umbrella of well-being for all of us. It’s a big loss.”

The quote from Cynthia Straus was part of a tribute to him she posted on Facebook, according to a story by the Chicago CBS News affiliate.

The Facebook message also conveyed Cynthia Straus’ anger about the way her uncle died. He was among the victims of the alleged gunman, Robert E. Crimo III, who fired at the parade crowd from a nearby rooftop.

"Only those who have left this world know what awaits, and for me I can only say that if there are bells at Heaven's Gate they are chiming and cheering for you, for a life well lived, and a soul well served,” Cynthia Straus wrote on Facebook. “But, let's be clear NO ONE should die this way."