Short answers, pulled from the story.
Steve Winter was born on the 8th of December 1957 in Dubuque, Iowa. His early life in Dubuque set the stage for his future career in game design after a nun introduced him to J. R. R. Tolkien during his high school years.
Steve Winter worked as a city desk reporter for the Peoria Journal-Star before entering the game industry. He covered local news including the first murder in Peoria and Ronald Reagan's last campaign appearance in 1980 until he was laid off from his temporary position.
Steve Winter began working for TSR in May 1981 as a Games Editor. He secured the position after sending his resume following an issue of DRAGON Magazine that mentioned TSR was looking for editors.
Steve Winter rose to the position of Manager of Game Editors by 1984 at TSR. In this role he oversaw projects including the Star Frontiers boxed games, the 1983 World of Greyhawk revision, and the Top Secret Companion.
Steve Winter left Wizards of the Coast on the 14th of December 2011 after working as a producer for the D&D and D&D Miniatures websites. His tenure spanned over three decades and included shaping the game's direction before his departure.
Steve Winter married Mary Kirchoff in September 1985. She had been a member of Dragon magazine's editorial staff and editor of the Polyhedron Newszine before they co-wrote the Dragonlance novel Wanderlust.