E. Whitlock Stephen

Stephen E. Whitlock, age 63, of Ovid passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 25, 2015.

The family will be present to receive friends from 11:00 am to 2:00pm on Saturday October 3 at Covert Funeral Home, 7199 So. Main Street, Ovid. A memorial service will immediately follow at 2:00pm at the funeral home. The family asks those that would like to make a contribution in Stephen❜s memory to kindly consider the Chapman Memorial for Human Service scholarship C/O Ovid Federated Church, P.O Box 340, Ovid, NY 14521 or the Finger Lakes Land Trust, 202 East Court Street, Ithaca, NY 14850.

Stephen was born in Morristown, New Jersey on September 22, 1952, a son of the late Donald and Louisa (Chapman) Whitlock. Stephen graduated with BS degrees in Chemistry from Case Institute of Technology and in Fermentation Science from University of California at Davis. His Cayuga Lake winery experience spans 35 years starting with Planes Vineyards, Lucas Vineyards, and returning to where he started, now Cayuga Ridge for the past 22 years where he was Co-Winemaker. He was very proud that Cayuga Ridge won Best Riesling of the New World category (non-Europe) at the 2010 Best of Riesling held in Germany, the first time a wine was considered good enough to make an award.

Stephen loved to collect old tools, equipment, and books but was generous in sharing what he had. Stephen enjoyed the natural world and science and had a great respect for ecological systems and logical thinking. His favorite holiday was the Fourth of July; he was known to celebrate with an acetylene cannon. He was a formidable Scrabble opponent, an avid reader (including dictionaries), a collector and repairer of computers and a beloved uncle.

Stephen is survived by five siblings, Walter (Anna), Peter (Ginger), David, Jonathan (Christine) Whitlock, and Martha (Theodore) Kolios; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Stephen was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Laura and Hugh Chapman.