Almost 8 years ago we moved to Steeplechase townhomes in Eagan. I was apprehensive as I thought it was too expensive but Steve assured me it would be the perfect place for us.  How right he was!  

As is typical with Steve there are many stories to tell about the move most notably unpacking his kitchen box to find he’d bubble wrapped a styrofoam coffee cup like you get at KwikTrip!

Steeplechase has been the best place for family-both my children cycled through the basement as they made their moves back to Minnesota, holidays and Sunday brunches with all our children and loving that we had space to fit them all, gatherings at the fire table (even in winter during the pandemic), sleepovers with Jensen, watching the sunset in the evening and wildlife in the backyard visiting from Lebanon Hills Regional Park.

Steeplechase also brought wonderful neighbors and friendships. How lucky we are to have the best building in Steeplechase with Maureen, Mike and Mary, and Kelly and Sharon.  Steve relished social time and enjoyed golf and a cigar and bourbon with Kelly on the patio.  And I have been thankful for their friendship and caring since Steve’s passing.  This week we all gathered for dinner to celebrate COVID vaccinations for all and Steve was missed although stories were told.  And today, Kelly and Sharon planted an apple tree in the back yard in Steves memory.

I am so happy Steveconvinced me to move here…

Steve was born January 10, 1956 to Wallace Gunn Lonergan and Joan Penoyer Lonergan. Steve became a big brother when Kevin was born.  Wally was a professor at University of Chicago and Joan was a Head Start teacher in Chicago. 

Steve attended U of Chicago Lab School graduating in 1975.  Being very tall, he played basketball of course! Growing up in Hyde Park made for many interesting stories of urban living many of them with his best friend Ralph Rolling, who very conveniently lived right on the block.   

At just 16, Steve headed to Macalester University in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Steve graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Economics and Psychology.  Besides academics, Steve found a community of life long friends and membership in the Biergartners, who continue to gather regularly to share life and stories that inevitably get better with every telling.

Steve's greatest joy was his family.  Following his marriage to Laura Reick, the family grew with the arrival of Tom, Nicole, Hailey and Mikayla.  As Steve always said he wanted two children, Laura wanted three so they settled on four!  Steve was so proud in the accomplishments of each of his children, but most importantly he was was over the top in pride for their caring and good hearts as they became young adults.   Family zoom nights and family dinners were a highlight.

After his marriage ended, Steve met Pat Jensen and his family expanded to include her father, Jere, and her children Laura and Erik and their families.  Steve adored children and granddaughter Jensen was his favorite sidekick, from water fights, trips to the zoo, nature walks, reading books and special games like wobbly bridge.  Steve was just a kid at heart!

Steve was outgoing, welcoming, caring and generous with his heart and his time.  He had an incredible knowledge of music no matter what genre, had an incredible memory for lyrics, artists and all things music (though he could not carry a tune himself!), played a mean air guitar and was trying to learn to play the ukulele.  Steve loved a good cigar, could mix up a creative cocktail (or kiddy cocktail) and loved gathering with friends and family. Steve had a joke for any occasion, and had a huge collection of belts (none of which worked).    Steve loved gatherings with the Biergartners and looked forward to the regular houseboat trips with lifelong friends.  He loved golf and looked forward to the fall golf trips up north with the Master Blasters or just a quick round at the local course.  He loved concerts at the MN Zoo with Sam and Linda.  He and Pat bonded over a shared love for volleyball and travel, especially Sedona, and his need for a good navigator! He was generous and soft hearted, getting teary eyed at a good story. He loved good food, good wine, good music and good people and he was a friend to all.

Steve was preceded in death by his father (2018), his mother (2006), his brother (2013).  Mourning Steve's passing are Pat Jensen and her family, his children Tom, Nicole, Hailey and Mikayla, their mother, Laura, and countless friends and family whose lives he touched in some way. 

Memorial services will be held to honor Steve and to honor his memory with joy and laughter as he would wish. Close family and friends will gather July 22-26 in Beaver Creek, Colorado, celebrating his memory in the mountains that he loved so much.  Another gathering will occur later this summer when the Biergartners gather to make more memories in the Boundary Waters.  Financial memorials can be directed to The Open Door Pantry in Eagan MN, where Steve enjoyed volunteering by distributing food and meals to those in need in our community or to any organization focused on helping those in need.  

The Open Door Pantry

Nothing made Steve happier than a call or visit with one of his kids.  

Steve enjoyed a 45 year career in property and casualty reinsurance  Following graduation from Macalester College in St. Paul MN, Steve embarked on a career in reinsurance, serving in leadership roles in many leading organizations in the industry, from Atlanta, to Chicago, to Connecticut, to Bermuda and the Twin Cities.

A highlight of his career was the four years spent as Managing Director of General Motors Captive in Bermuda.  Besides an incredibly interesting career opportunity, this brought the challenges and rewards of relocating a young family to a foreign country.   Imagine Steve wearing Bermuda shorts and riding a scooter to the office?  The experience created long-term memories and friendships for Steve and his entire family. 

Following Bermuda, relocation to the Twin Cities was attractive as it offered access to extended family and friends as well as career opportunities.  Steve worked with several organizations in various capacities, focused on using his knowledge and relationships to build growth opportunities for companies.  He approached every opportunity with enthusiasm and optimism, always excited to learn about new industries and work toward solutions to industry challenges.

Steve lived and traveled many places during his life.  He was proud of his Million Miler status on Delta Airlines and loved the opportunities to see new places and meet new people wherever his travels took him.    

Some of his favorite places  near and far:

1. Vail/Beaver Creek Colorado - Since Wally spent summers teaching executive seminars in Vail, the family packed up the wagon and spent many summers in Vail.   He spent hours hiking the mountains of the area. 
2. Carmel, California - Steve's mother grew up in the area, where her father was a military chaplain stationed there.  Following the Vail time, the family always traveled to visit Grandma and Grandpa and the scenic 17-Mile Drive and Pebble Creek were favorite spots to visit.
3. Sedona and Arizona -- The Sedona red rocks, the warmth and the desert terrain were favorite spots and a destination for numerous trips.  In fact, Steve and Pat were practicing to be snowbirds with an extended stay in Scottsdale when Steve became ill.  
4. Sun Valley, Idaho - Most people visit in winter to ski but the Lonergan's spent time in the summer.  This was a favorite spot to travel with Wally and Joan and offered activities and time spent as a family in a beautiful mountain setting.
5. Zion National Park - Steve loved nature, the mountains and hiking and especially loved Zion and nearby Bryce.  He found peace in nature and Zion offered a good place for reflection.  Though there was a treacherous drive through the tunnel when Steve couldn't locate the headlight switch...
6. Leech Lake, Minnesota - A favorite place because the entire Lonergan/Reick families gathered together for fun family time.  Nothing better than lake life with the family!
7. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota -  The houseboat trip with the Biergartners was a trip Steve looked forward to and he was really looking forward to the 2021 version.  What could go wrong with a bunch of college friends reliving their youth on a houseboat in the middle of a secluded lake?  The answer is stories that are told over and over again! 
8. The back patio in Eagan - sometimes home is best, especially when the spot overlooks a few ponds, the regional park and the wildlife that comes with it.  No better spot to turn on the firetable, light a cigar, listen to music and be with friends and family.   

Steve loved music - concerts at the zoo, sitting on the deck listening to music and enjoying a cigar, pulling people together through his daily song games, etc.  He compiled a song list to share with his friends and family as a new year's gift!.

A-A Good Fool is hard to find - Albert Collins (For the Ladies)
Line- “You ain’t nothing but an overgrown fool”

B-Back in the USSR- Beatles
“Leave until tomorrow to unpack my case, honey disconnect the phone”

C-Carry On - CSN&Y
“Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice, but to Carry On”

D-Drivin’ - Everything But the Girl
“Maybe one day you’ll wake and you’ll find me gone”

E-Everything’s Gonna Be Alright- David Lee Murphy
“Nobody’s gotta worry about Nothin’, Don’t go hittin’ that panic button-It ain’t near as bad as you think”

F-Feelin’ Alright – Joe Cocker
“Imprisoned by the way it could have been”

G-Getting By- Jerry Jeff Walker
“Livin’ it Day to day, pickin’ up the pieces whenever they fall, just lettin’ it roll- Lettin’ the high times carry the low Just livin’ my life, easy come easy go”

H-Happiness Is Just Around the Bend- Brian Auger & the Oblivion Express
“So I feel my World is upside Down, but there is nothing to fear, my vision is clear”

I-I gotta A feelin’- Black Eyed Peas
“I feel stressed out, I wanna let it go-let’s go way out and lose all control- Fill up my cup, Mazel Tov”

J-Jesus is just Alright – Doobie Brothers
“Jesus, he’s my friend, took me by the hand, led me far far from this land”

K-Katmandu- Bob Seger
“I’m tired of looking at the TV news”

L-Lawyers, Guns and Money- Warren Zevon
“The shit has hit the fan”

M-Margaritaville- Jimmy
“Searchin’ for my lost shaker of salt” “Stepped on a pop top- ” that frozen concoction that helps me hang on”

N-North Dakota- Lyle & Rickie Lee Jones
“I drank myself some Whisky, I dreamed I was a Cowboy”

O-One More Shot- Lonnie Brooks
“Hey Bartender, come over here, I need a shot of Whisky and I need a bottle of beer”

P-Papa Was a Rolling Stone- Phil Collins cover
“Doin’ some storefront preaching, talkin’ abut saving souls but all the time leeching “

Q-Que Sera, Sera Doris Day
“Whatever will be, will be”

R-Raise ‘Em Up” Keith Urban & Eric Church
“Those white sails sailing down in Mexico, it’s jus a whisky glass if you ain’t raisin’ a toast”

OR   Reelin’ in Years- Steely Dan
“The weekends at the college didn’t turn out like you planned- The things that pass for knowledge I can’t understand”

S-Shakin’ the hard times loose- Tommy Castro
“Staring down a stack of unpaid bills, spendin’ all her money on a few cheap thrills” OR “There’s too much month at the end of the money”

T-The Healer- John Lee Hooker with Carlos
“My woman left me, The Blues Healed me”Doesn’t get much more true than that!

U-Use Me live at Madison Square Garden- Late great Bill Withers
“My brother sat me right and talked to me- said I shouldn’t just let you just walk on me- I said Brother, if you only knew, you’d wish that you were in my shoes”

V-Viva La Vida- Coldplay
“It was a wicked and wild wind, that blew down the doors that let me in”

W-Won’t Get Fooled Again- The Who
“I get all my papers and smile at the sky- Cause you know that the hypnotized never lie”

X-X marks the Spot- Joe Sample

Y-You Can’t Always Get what You Want- Stones
“But if you try sometimes ,you just might find, you ’ll get what you need”

Z-Zanzibar- Billy Joel-
“Melodrama’s so much fun”

Bonus  500 Miles Live- Albert Cummings
“I got 500 miles, until I put my arms around you, and 500 miles is just what I’m gonna do!”