Passed away peacefully — with his dearest family and caregivers at his side — at Lakeridge Health Oshawa in the evening of October 23, 2026. He was 87.
Steven William Chepa is lovingly remembered by his daughter Christina and her husband Wayne, grandchildren McKenna and Quinlan, nephews Colin and Kevin, and cousin Orest.
He is predeceased by his sisters, Julia, Olga and Marta, and by the mother of his daughter, Rosemarie.
The son of William and Mary, Ukrainian immigrants, Steven was born and grew up in Hamilton.
He studied accountancy at McMaster University. Graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1962, he worked as a Certified Professional Accountant with Price Waterhouse. In 1966 he joined the alarm division of Chubb Industries.
His aptitude for finance and an adventurous, seize-the-day attitude quickly led him into a career as an entrepreneur. After a couple of early ventures, he co-founded the electronics manufacturer Dicon Systems, which was hugely successful in the 1970s producing smoke alarms and gas detectors. By 1985 Dicon was the world’s third largest manufacturer of residential smoke alarms and that year was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
He founded Norstone Financial Corporation, his personal holding company, in 1975. By 1995 it had grown to become a merchant bank, financing several ventures, which included Mytec Technologies, Global Prime Office Network and Starwood Zakarpattia (in Ukraine). He also served as a director of several publicly traded corporations.
Passionate about living life to its fullest, Steven had a number of notable pursuits. An enthusiastic equestrian, he rode with the Eglinton & Caledon Hunt Club. He was the owner (and part-owner) of several horses, including a show jumper that competed at the Olympics.
He was an aficionado of the performing arts, particularly opera, and also served as a director for Dancemakers, a dance company in Toronto.
In the late 1990s, he and Melissa Vincent devoted several years to building a stunning, Georgian country house in Caledon. Late in his life he would say that he enjoyed nothing more than driving his tractor across the estate’s 165 acres. But his appreciation for the finer things in life, which also included wine and fine dining, remained undimmed. His friends in Caledon will remember him as a warmly convivial party host.
In the latter part of his life, Steven became increasingly interested in, and involved with, his family’s Ukrainian heritage and culture, specifically the ethnic group known as Rusyns (or Carpatho-Rusyns). He was a supporter of the University of Toronto’s Chair of Ukrainian Studies, which included sponsoring publications and educational efforts in Ukraine. He was particularly proud of co-founding and sponsoring the Dukhnovych Prize, which promoted Rusyn literature and culture.
Vičnaja jomu pamjat’!
Eternal memory to him!
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of Steven’s favourite charities, Share the Bounty (sharethebounty.info/donate-now).
