Your first impression says a lot. With Steve, you felt you had just talked to a gentleman – a calm man with a witty sense of humor. Steve had a huge passion for sports – Hockey and Football in particular. His favorite past-time was fly-fishing with his buddies. Steve was also a mean cook – he could make a roast beef that was to die for. He also always held a deep appreciation and fascination for space – he tracked the ISS, loved to see meteor showers, and kept up with all the latest scientific news.

Steve had such a caring soul. He supported his wife in each and every one of her ventures, whether it was her pursuit of higher education or helping with her passion for gardening. He also always cheered his daughters to be the best they could possibly be, whatever that would be. Steve put everyone before himself.

From his birth in England, to then growing up in Canada, Steve was always proud of both his heritages. He wanted to be a defense hockey player for the Montreal Canadians. Health issues at a young age changed that dream. As a proud McGill graduate, he went on to become a great mechanical engineer. Engineering was such a perfect fit for him, due to his love for math and intelligence at detail-oriented tasks.

In the 1980s, he started Ergon Thermal with two friends in Ontario. Steve took a lot of pride in the work that was produced by Ergon. However, after several years of endeavors at Ergon, he married Josee and moved to Michigan where his two daughters Marina & Chanelle were born.

Steve was Chief Engineer at Salem Englehard, which had a special place in his heart because of the lifetime friends he made there. After the Salem buy-out, Steve worked as Engineering Manager at Haden through the new millennium, where he was lucky to meet even more good people.

In 2001, he decided to form his own company: The Russ Group, aka “TRG”. TRG specialized in the automotive industry, designing convection ovens, cleaner air systems, and other such complex designs. He tried really hard to make his passion, TRG, succeed – which it did, for several years. Unfortunately, yet another dream had to change due to the massive collapse of the automotive industry in Michigan.

After TRG, Steve worked at a few engineering companies. He was still searching for that next dream, that next good fit. We are so sad that the dream ended at that point for him.

Despite that, he was very loved by those who knew him. As much as we wish we could have more time with Steve, he is now at peace. The youngest of four brothers, he has reunited with all of his blood brothers wherever that next journey is.