Stefan Moser, founder of Swiss Balance Inc., a prosthetic company in Santa Monica, died April 27 after succumbing to heat during an off-road adventure trip in the Mojave Desert. He was 54.

He earned his certification in prosthetics in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1980, then worked for the International Red Cross in Angola and Lebanon, building prosthetic workshops and training local technicians in fitting civil war casualties with artificial limbs.

He came to California in 1983 and founded Swiss Balance Inc. in 1989. He was certified in pedorthics in 1991 by the national governing board, the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics, Inc. He was also a member of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics.

He is survived by seven brothers and sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services were private.