Stephen Dale McCracken

Stephen McCracken, age 66, died Thursday 25 June 2026 at home in Tucker, Georgia from cancer. He slipped away peacefully, surrounded by family.

Stephen was born Tuesday 18 August 1959, to Thomas and Jean (Ewart) McCracken, in Danville, Illinois. His father was a pastor and seminary student. His mother became a high school science teacher, and later an ordained minister. His family lived in eastern Illinois and central Indiana until Stephen was 7, when his parents become missionaries. The family moved to Trinidad, an island in the southern Caribbean, in early August 1967.

His parents had the wisdom to enroll him in a Trinidadian public school, not in an exclusive school for foreigners. A month after arriving on the island, Stephen began attending Grant School in San Fernando, alongside his older brother and 1,100 children of South Asian descent. While all of these changes required HUGE adjustments, it wasn’t long before he was at home in his new home, a graceful flexibility he continued to cultivate, and benefit from for the rest of his life. At Grant School, he learned to love Indian street food. And pepper!

Playing with marbles was a big thing for young boys in Trinidad. Marbles were constantly being lost or broken. Shops around Grant School sold them for 1 cent each, but the Woolworth’s downtown sold them 1 cent for two. Stephen sensed a grand opportunity, and bought hundreds from Woolworth’s. He sold them at recess and lunchtime, a BIG bag of marbles in hand, for 1 cent each, same price as the shops, but he offered convenience and customer service that they did not. He made out like a bandit.

Stephen was generous with his time and energy. First in Trinidad, then in Grenada, and later in Brasil, he volunteered to work, after school and during vacation, with construction crews building churches. He continued this into adulthood. At home with his parents for Christmas in 1991, he helped hand-dig a cesspit for the church in Belém.

In July 1974, Stephen moved with his parents and 2 younger sisters from Trinidad to Brasil, beginning a long involvement with, and a deep appreciation for that country, its people and its language. In high school, he developed a consuming interest in photography. He built a photo enlarger from a wooden crate and converted a room at his parents' house in Campinas into a darkroom. His passion for photography continued into the age of digital photography.

Stephen returned to the US to attend Wheaton College (1977-1979). He earned a bachelor’s degree (Sociology, 1982) and a master’s degree (Latin American Studies & Demography, 1985) from the University of Florida, and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (Sociology/Demography, 1990). He was a visiting professor and lecturer at CEDEPLAR – Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brasil (1990-1995), and served as a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University (1995-2000). He worked for the US Census Bureau in DC (2000-2002).

In 2002, Steve joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, and worked there as a Demographer/Statistician until his death, first in the Division of Reproductive Health (2002-2014), and later in the Division of HIV & TB, Center for Global Health (2014-2026).

With the CDC, Steve worked in many countries (Albania, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Malawi, Moçambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and probably others), helping people around the world live longer, healthier, better lives.

Twenty years ago, Steve met his wife Milagros in Nicaragua, where she worked with him on a health survey team. They grew close, and forged a lasting partnership that brought their son André Tomás into the world. Milagros brought Alex to their marriage, and Stephen brought Ian. Together, they built a stable, loving family. Milagros says that life with Steve involved learning day by day to value each moment together, to recognize that God lives in this place, in this family, in their lives. She says that their greatest hope as a couple was to raise their children with values, and to teach them the importance of family.

Last year, Stephen was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He did everything he could to extend his life. He wanted to stay, to be here for his family and provide for them. He also did everything he could to make the most of his time here, on Earth. He rejoiced in the accomplishments of his sons, and enjoyed time with family and friends. He came to terms with the fact that his life was ending. He made provisions for his family to go on without him. He gave and received love and forgiveness from those he had wronged, and from those who had wronged him. Near the end, he told his sister, more than once, ”I am a sinner who has been forgiven by God, because of God's grace”. Ele era crente.

Steve, Milagros and André Tomás travelled to Spain in July 2022, where they walked portions of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. They planned another trip there for this past June, but the aggressive spread of the cancer made returning impossible. He had hoped to walk the Camino again, and use the setting to reflect on his life.

Stephen was preceded in death by his mother, and his older sister. He is survived by his wife, Maria Milagros Vásquez Aguilar; his children, Alexander Rugama Vásquez, Ian Andes McCracken, André Tomás McCracken Vásquez; his father, his mother-in-law, his father-in-law, a brother (and his spouse), two sisters (and their spouses), two sisters-in-law, 5 nephews, 1 niece; and many, many dear friends and colleagues.

We all hoped, and some of us prayed, that Stephen would have many more years with us. We love him, and we miss him. We will remember him, and hold dear the time we shared with him.

Con profundo pesar, anunciamos el fallecimiento de Stephen Dale McCracken, nacido el 18 de agosto de 1959 y quien partió el 25 de junio de 2026 a la edad de 66 años.

Visitacion y Servicio Funebre

Fecha: sabado, 27 de junio de 2026

De 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM sera el tiempo de visitacion 

El servicio funebre empezara de 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Lugar: Fischer Funeral Care
3742 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341

With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Stephen Dale McCracken, born on August 18th 1959, who passed away on June 25, 2026, at the age of 66.

Visitation and Funeral Service

Date: Saturday, June 27th, 2026

The visitation will be held from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

and the Funeral Service will be from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Services will be held at:
Fischer Funeral Care
3742 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd
Atlanta, GA 30341

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