Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2025 December)
centers and at Thomas Jefferson Library.
Steve Lebo’s life could have followed a simple, straightforward path, but unexpected events, unique chances, and tough decisions changed everything. While those moments weren’t always easy, they gave him amazing experiences – traveling to interesting places, creating new technology, and stepping in to support his family when it mattered most.
Steve was born and raised in the small town of Winamac, Indiana. He was the third of four children, and his parents, Delbert and Olive, were well-known in the community. Delbert owned a car repair shop and was also the justice of the peace, so Steve grew up watching couples get married in their living room. Growing up in a small town, Steve attended a high school that served the whole county. He was president of his senior class, which had only about 60 students.
After high school, Steve went to Indiana University intending to study accounting. But after one class, where he realized it was less about math and more about memorizing rules, he changed his major to personnel and organization behavior. He also began dating Winnifred (Winnie) Kaffenberger, who grew up in Southern Indiana. As graduation neared, Steve found he needed a few extra credits to graduate. He signed up for some computer programming classes and discovered he liked them a lot.
“Come graduation time and it seemed like the world had all the personnel experts they needed,” Steve says. However, he soon landed a job with IBM as a computer programmer at their headquarters in White Plains, New York. He enjoyed the work, but just two months in, he was drafted into the military. It was 1967 during the Vietnam War. Steve reported to Indianapolis, where a recruiter offered him a choice. If he signed up for an additional year of service, he could avoid combat and instead go to quartermaster school. “Handing out the rifles seemed like a better choice than the guy receiving the rifles so I said yeah, I can get on board with that,” he says.
Steve began basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While he was there, staff from the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), a military group responsible for secure communication for the president, were conducting interviews to recruit people. Intrigued, he agreed to an interview. Steve’s clean-cut background and IBM experience impressed the recruiters, and they picked him to train as a crypto repairman. The WHCA used cryptographic (teletype) equipment to send encrypted messages.
After completing basic training, Steve spent nine months at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, learning how to fix cryptographic equipment. During this time, he married Winnie. After training, the couple moved to Virginia, and Steve started his job working in the basement of the White House.
For seven years, Steve worked for the WHCA, serving under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. The work was demanding and required frequent travel with sensitive equipment. Every time the president traveled, WHCA staff were required to travel ahead and set up a communications center, which included a switchboard, a radio group, and cryptographic equipment. Steve’s first trip was to Johnson City, Texas, where LBJ’s ranch was located. In the first year alone, he was away from home for six months. Thankfully, the other military wives supported Winnie, so she didn’t feel too alone.
Although he was working, the frequent travel allowed Steve to visit several interesting places. In 1970, he traveled to Paris when Nixon attended the funeral of French leader Charles de Gaulle. Another memorable trip was to the Shah’s summer palace in Iran during Nixon’s diplomatic visit.
WHCA staff traveled on military aircraft for official presidential business but flew commercial for the president’s personal business, such as Nixon’s reelection campaign. “This was a time when there were a lot of hijackings going on. We were taking our secure, top-secret equipment on a commercial airline,” Steve says. He recalls that they were required to stand on the tarmac and watch airport staff load their equipment into the cargo hold and close the door. Only then were they allowed to board the plane. Because they traveled armed, the flight crews were very welcoming, believing that they would stop any hijackers, but this was not the case. “Our orders were that if we go to Cuba, that was okay,” he says.
In 1974, Steve and Winnie bought their first home and welcomed their only child, Adam. Wanting to spend more time at home, Steve left the WHCA and joined a telecommunications company called Pulsecom. He worked there for 10 years, later switching to a defense contractor before returning to Pulsecom for another 30 years. His work involved various types of engineering, and he even earned four patents for the telecommunications equipment he designed.
Life at home took a difficult turn when Adam ran into trouble with the law and went to prison. While he was there, Adam’s girlfriend had a baby girl named Justice. Steve and Winnie often cared for their granddaughter and when the girl was 21 months old, her mother brought the baby to them. “One day, she came with the baby and said ‘I can’t take care of her anymore. Either you do it or I’m going to put her up for adoption,’” Steve recalls. The couple agreed and became Justice’s legal guardians.
While unexpected and challenging, the Lebos never regretted their decision. “It’s definitely a challenge for folks our age who have raised their kids and thought they were done to have a baby back in the house and then a teenager. It’s interesting at the best of times but it’s very rewarding. Once you get past the ‘I’m too old for this’ you realize it actually keeps you going. You’ve got to take the kid to ice skating or soccer. I would certainly recommend it but be prepared because it’s definitely going to change your life and your expectations of what life is going to be when you’re 78 years old, running around with a teenager,” Steve says.
Justice grew up to be a bright and hardworking young woman, earning straight As in school and excelling as an ice skater. Winnie would drive her to practices, and the Lebos supported her every step of the way. Adam was eventually released from prison, got his life back on track and established a relationship with Justice, though he acts more like a big brother than a parent.
In 2015, Justice graduated from high school and went off to Brigham Young University in Utah. That same year, Steve retired from work. At first, he wasn’t sure what to do with his free time, but he soon found a volunteer opportunity helping seniors with technology. “I signed up for Little River Glen (Senior Center) and started going out there. I really enjoyed the heck out of it. It’s a fun place to be and there are a lot of interesting people around,” Steve says. Eventually, he also began volunteering at Lincolnia Senior Center and Thomas Jefferson Library doing tech tutoring. Steve likes answering questions and enjoys explaining things to people, such as what artificial intelligence (AI) is and how it works.
Steve makes sure that he stays informed about the latest technology, both for his role as tech tutor, but also because he finds it interesting. He continues to enjoy designing things and recently purchased a 3-D printer to bring his designs to life.
Both he and Winnie enjoy traveling in retirement, visiting places across the country. They recently visited Justice and her husband in Utah and explored Yellowstone National Park together. They also love river cruises and are looking forward to seeing the fall colors on their next trip to New York’s Hudson Valley.
Although Steve Lebo could not have anticipated the twists and turns his life has taken, it has been an interesting and satisfying journey.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).