I can’t think of a better way to go, myself. Steve had a sudden and unexpected heart attack or stroke, while playing with his grandson, just like Don Corleone. He was 74 years old, but active and healthy until the moment he passed
His daughter, Tammy, a former employee of mine, invited me to the funeral. I took it as an honor, and I was proud to accept. The ceremony was a sumptious affair, at a fine chapel, with an open bar, plenty of food and several hundred people in attendance. There was a military honor guard, a solemn ceremony, and a presentation of the flag to the family. A bugler played “Taps”. Flawlessly. Steve had flown F104s in the Air Force.
A long line of friends came to speak for him, and they recounted the story of his life and the impact he made on the people who loved him and everyone who knew him. A prosperous, self-made man, a wonderful family, a love of life, hard work, interests and hobbies and service to others. Steve was a brilliant engineer, a family man, an accomplished skin diver, world traveler, environmentalist and community activist, a man who “could fix anything”, a good neighbor with a streak of mischievousness, a hoarder who never threw anything away, but who picked up every bit of human trash and refuse he found on his hikes and dives and dutifully carried them back for proper disposal. He felt the need to leave the world better than he found it.
His friends put together a slide show documenting his life: he was athletic, as good looking as a movie star right up to the end, a man who was generous and happy and lived life to the fullest. There were many weeping in the audience, I don’t doubt for a moment it was all true.
His wife in the old snaps was a pretty as Tammy, as was his grandaughter. The resemblance of all three to each other was undeniable–the generations pass. As the Preacher tells us, to all things there is a season under heaven: The three stages of woman: virgin, mother and crone
I wish I had known him. I never met the man, but I will never forget him. Rest in Peace, Steve. You created an island of beauty and harmony, order and peace, in a universe filled with random chaos. It will survive your passing, and you left the world a better place than when you found it. You built your own universe around you, and it was a good place. And you taught me a valuable lesson. Rest in peace.