Steve was a very caring family, always talking affectionately about his wife, children and many fun pet projects he was doing around the house for his family.
As a colleague Steve had an open book policy and an open heart and was accepting of all irrespective of their backgrounds. He was ever willing to share needed information. He had a good knowledge of railroad history and joint facility agreements and was a subject matter expert and resource.
Steve was a railroad fan and he truly loved everything about trains. He was the only one I know whose plan for the weekend was to travel to Joliet or some far flung place to watch trains roll into the station. His love for the railroad carried over to his work at Metra which he did so passionately and excellently. He was the best cost analyst I ever worked with. He had an eye for looking to save costs and ensuring compliance with procedures and agreements.
In the past two years that we worked closely together, I didn't realize that I had grown fond of Steve, until after his demise. I was distraught by the news that we had lost Steve, and I am still trying to recover from the shock, and its really difficult. We didn't always agree on everything but he always respected my views and in the end we always achieved the set goals and objectives. Whatever and however Steve did what he did, he did it believing it was the best thing to do. He was principled, objective and was a gentleman. He was truly a good person and I didn't see any animosity in him at all.
I pray that Steve would find peace where he is at in Jesus name. Above all I pray that the family would receive the grace of God to bear the loss and to keep going stronger in honor of Steve's name and goodness.
