I was sad to hear of Steve’s passing. I always knew him as “Steve”.  We met over 40 years ago when he started working at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station for Boston Edison at the Prudential.

Steve was an outstanding engineer. He could match wits with anyone.

Steve always talked and bragged about his wife and children. He was very proud of their accomplishments.

I was fortunate to have known him and to work with him. There were times when he would challenge your results. You might not like it but you always knew where you stood.  He was demanding but considerate. Steve was a great mentor to young engineers.

There are many good memories that I have of meetings and technical discussions that we were involved with.

After Steve retired and moved to the Berlin area we had lunch at the Railroad Restaurant in Bolton (Berlin?). It was a great place where two “old” engineers could sit and argue for hours about various engineering topics. He usually always won!!

He will be missed. He was a well respected person and engineer. I wish I could be there at his Memorial Service on Thursday to honor him but due to personal reasons I cannot attend.

Please accept my condolences.

Jim Flaherty

Steve and I were able to spend quite a lot of time together, as I lived with him during a period of time when we were transitioning.  Often times, it was just he and I in the house, and I grew to really enjoy his company.  He had a lot of stories (and yes often the same favorites and most of the time I was surprised he was still alive). There were times where we would watch the game and just hang out.  I miss that time.

Probably the most unlikely bond created, was the one between a new baby and her grampy.  Connected by cancer, both Haley and Steve were going through a lot around the same time.  Pat and Steve would watch Haley quite often when I was having my regular OB appointments, as I was pregnant with Bria.  I believe Haley gave him a lot of strength watching her grow with all of the challenges she faced. He loved each of them so much.

When my dad had his first stroke it was rough to see. To cheer him up and lighten up his hospital room a bit we brought him two photos, one of our dog Cassie, not sure why, I think it just made him laugh, and one of my daughter Haley who was about 1 at the time, Bria wasn't born yet.
 
If you don't know Haley's story, she was born with a cancerous tumor on the back of her neck. They didn't expect to live much longer and had to operate. The prognosis was bleak but she survived and today she runs around the house like a crazy monkey.

I'm bringing this story up, because, when my dad was recovering from his stroke he told every nurse that walked in there that Haley was his inspiration and that she had gone through so much and it gave him hope. 

I couldn't find the picture we had placed in his room, but the picture to the left is Haleys first JimmyFund walk. She is about 7 months in this picture and it's right after her operation.      

Steve always lit up with his grandchildren, Haley and Bria.  He just got a kick out of them and they got a kick out of him too.  Bria especially always liked to give her grampy hugs and make sure he was feeling well toward the end of his sickness. Here we are at Sharon's wedding, the last big family event we have had together. Steve was very proud of the girls as little flowergirls.  

Jeff and I were married in St. John, USVI on October 23, 2005.  We were lucky enough to have our closest family and friends present.  This was a very happy time, but also a sad time, because this was the time we learned that Steve was sick with lung cancer.  He waited until after we came back from our honeymoon so we could enjoy our time as newlyweds, and not worry about him.  (which we would have)  He kept a happy face beaming with pride (and sunburn) throughout this whole trip.  

As I said, my dad was a do-it-yourselfer, carpentry, landscaping, and auto-repair. He taught me A LOT about cars. How to change oil, brake pads, rotors, distributors (when they had them), alternators, batteries, and how engines worked in general. Cars are a passion of mine, they always were since I was born, actually almost anything with an engine is. I learned a lot from him. I HATED having to stand there and hand him wrenches but it was how I learned. 

  
   

I remember there was a lot of work to be done in the backyard. Mom was always growing something; strawberries, tomatoes, raddishes, peas, and green beans. Dad was always doing something involving power equipment; chopping down a tree for firewood, clearing out the back so we would have an even bigger lawn, pulling a stump, building a deck. There was always a project. I never did apprecate the lawn getting as big as it did. It used to take me 3 hours to mow it and that was with a rider mower.

My mother, my mother's father "Lefty" (real name Casimer), my dad, and I all went to San Fancisco, I think around 1982. My hair looks 'wicked' awesome in this picture. You can see the Golden Gate in the back ground if you're not laughing at my hair so much that your eyes are watering.

This is a picture of my dad on graduation day. For some reason, he kept a lot his college stories secret. Hmm.. but he seems to be grinning and his father Lester and mother Ethel look shocked this day actually arrived. 

The house in the background is our fraternity house. My dad, my Uncle Dave and my Uncle Bruce lived there while going to school at URI.   

My Dad was a great skier. Of course, this is back in the day when ski's were esentially 6 foot long boards strapped to your feet, not the advanced parabolic's we have today. He could ski pretty much anything, even skiied Tuckerman's Ravine in New Hampshire which is THE badge of honor for skiing in the Northeast. He taught me to ski at good ol' Ward Hill in Shrewsbury. He used to ski down holding me between his legs. I think I still have the ski's. To this day, skiing is still a passion of mine and I'm so glad he introduced it to me.

Anyone from the old neighborhood in Shrewsbury will remember my father used to cut down quite a few trees in our backyard. Mostly for firewood but one time it was because a tree was too close to our garage. My dad, being the constant do-it-yourselfer decided he would take the tree down himself piece by piece. All was going well until he cut a piece that was a little too big and it crashed through the roof of the garage, Tim the Tool Man Taylor style.  We laugh about it now, he didn't think it was so funny then. ;)

When my dad was well he was such a loving grandfather to his two little princesses. They loved him dearly. I remember how much fun they had visiting Franklin Park Zoo with their Grampy, pictured here. Of course with him there were no rules, he spoiled them as a grandparent should. It was payback for all the grief I gave him growing up I'm sure. 

They were so young when he started getting sick, I want to try and make sure they remember the good times they used to have.