Here is a story from my mom, Thelma: 

Carolyn and my two daughters are childhood friends, and I got to know Steve as he and Carolyn would come and spend time with the girls at our home over the years.  In 2016 my younger daughter Deanna got married in Mexico, and Steve, Carolyn, Cole and Meghan made the trip with us, which made me happy. I was glad they could come. By very early on into the destination wedding vacation trip, most of the guests who had traveled with us had learned that I was afraid of these little creatures that roamed freely around the resort. They are called coati, and they resemble raccoons, which really spook me out.  I would do anything to avoid encountering these things. Anyhow, Steve got wind of my fear of the coati. One morning we met him on the way to the breakfast buffet. He told us in all seriousness that the night before, a woman on our resort had been attacked by a coati. I started to get concerned for my safety but then I saw that no one else was taking him seriously at all, and then he cracked a grin. I felt like giving him a swat. I can’t remember, maybe I did…

I remember the numerous road trips on the way camping or the cottage. But one particular trip I recall was driving to Quebec. I think it was winter, as Steve had a blast lowering down all the windows in the car, while driving on the highway, to see how long we could stand the cold. Steve always knew how to cheer someone up with his jokes, his sense of humour and friendliness were contagious.

After moving to Rainbow Crescent in 2008, Mike and I got to know the Hungate's over the years. From the day we met Steve, he will always be remembered as the guy with a twinkle in his eye and smile that was always so warm and authentic. Steve was witty and always fun to be around-never a dull moment in the years we knew him. The Hungate's were best known as the Fungates, bringing neighbours and friends together, finding occasions to celebrate and having spontaneous get togethers without the formality of planning. Steve especially enjoyed teasing me about being from Winnipeg-he always found ways to include a funny 'Winnipeg' wisecrack directed at me of course when we got together. I would spar back and we would always laugh about it in the end. I would often see Steve pick up the kids at PLASP and on occasion, he would watch me on the other side of the door (I was of course outside in the cold-while he was inside) with a smirk. Steve knew he was the door master and took the opportunity to have me ask him nicely to open the door. Steve was the type of guy who loved to have fun, he loved his family and he loved life-this was apparent in all the actions he took each and every day. We will savour all the fun-filled times our families spent together and we will miss seeing him.

Steve made me laugh, all the time. He’d get away with telling the corniest jokes, like “What is brown and sticky?...A stick” or ask you to pull his finger and then fart. It came in handy because he teased us incessantly. “STEEEVVVVE” was commonly heard throughout 75B Churchill. But we couldn’t stay mad at him because he would just crack a joke and all would be good. Sometimes, the antics went a little too far. Like one time at the cottage, he was chasing me around the dock, threatening to put a slippery, slimy frog on me. My only defense was a canoe paddle…so WHACK!!! right on the side of his head. Oh, we were so dumb and immature…but we had so much fun!

He was also kind and generous. We also worked together at Campbell’s in Toronto in the winter of ‘97 for an internship, making soup in a test kitchen from 9 to 5. He was living in Oakville with his family, and I lived a few houses down from Carolyn on Rainbow Crescent. Despite having to spending a full day of work with me, he’d give me a ride everyday, enduring the grueling 401 traffic AND my propensity to sing along with every Jewel song that played on the radio. And although he always threatened to leave me on the side of the highway if I didn’t stop singing, he never failed to pick me up the next day.

I’ll always cherish that time in my life with Steve and Carolyn, hanging out 24x7 and goofing off. Of course, we would continue to have more fun throughout our years at Waterloo. But there was something memorable about that time, the making of some really special friendships.

Steve had a way of making you feel like you were at home and among friends, no matter the circumstance. If you were feeling uncomfortable or a little ill-at-ease, he made it his business to seek you out and secure your participation in his reindeer games. This is a gift that not everyone has. He had great generosity of spirit, which he tried -- never successfully -- to conceal beneath a crooked grin and a relentless barrage of fart and poo jokes. It was my good fortune to have known him.

We had a particularly close-knit and fun Chemical Engineering class at the University of Waterloo. Within that, Steve and Carolyn were part of a group of seven friends that referred to themselves as "the sextuplet" or more accurately, "The Sextuplet, Now Featuring Tommy!" Four, and eventually five from the group lived together at 75B Churchill St, a dump we called home. Steve never paid rent there but his presence was a constant and welcome one.

During one summer school term, I took it upon myself to plant some flowers in the backyard. I chose a location with lots of sun, and prepped the flower bed before planting sunflower seeds. I was very much looking forward to watching the sunflowers grow. One day not long after, I came home from school and checked on the garden, hoping for signs of progress. I was pleasantly surprised to see some maturing sunflowers! I was so pleased with myself and chalked up the growth to the sunny location. I went inside the house, beaming with pride. Steve was there with the others and it soon came out that I had been pranked! Steve had taken the time to repurpose some sunflowers he had gifted to Carolyn by planting them in the garden, and he was SUPER pleased that I had fallen for the gag. I was embarrassed and choking on the pride that had blinded my reason but one invariably comes out feeling great when Steve turns his attention to you. I'd like to think I wasn't a regular target of Steve's pranks due to being on the less gullible side but Steve's creativity, commitment and execution exposed my hubris. He got me good! I can still see him grinning and laughing, saying "you are SUCH an idiot!"

Steve had a signature move around birthdays: he would (generously) get an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Many a cake were consumed on Churchill and elsewhere over the years, all courtesy of Steve. The twist from Steve was a special message for the recipient, written in icing on top of the cake. Examples include "hope you choke" and "your parents never loved you". How funny is that? I think it was one of Steve's favourite gags because he enjoyed every step of the process, including asking the Dairy Queen staff to write these absurdities, showing others his handiwork, taking in the ultimate reaction from those celebrating a birthday and, of course, his giddy anticipation throughout.

For the benefit of others and building on Naomi and Amy's comments, I'll explain the 'Hot and Cold' game Steve LOVED playing on longer car rides. If it was summer, Steve would roll up all the windows and turn the heat on full blast, including seat warmers set to max. If it was winter, Steve would roll down all the windows and turn the AC on full blast. The game was simple: first one to complain lost. His commitment to winning was unrivalled. He often had rivers of sweat running down his back and beyond in service of watching others squirm. Why anyone agreed to play this game is beyond me but as with my participation, you often followed Steve and indulged his ideas because it usually ended in a good place with smiles all around. Steve was an expert at finding and creating fun.

I remember Uncle Steve at Beavers. Cole and I would always hold his hand. Then we would say our Motto: Sharing, Sharing…… and then we would have to go down to the ground and jump, but uncle Steve couldn’t do it so he would just stay down and slap his butt. It was funny. James Cunningham

First year at university would not have been the same without Steve. He just made whatever we were working on more fun somehow. I remember with us all sitting around those drafting tables with Steve making the rounds trying to get everyone to laugh. Always smiling, goofing around, just a genuine great person.

I met the Fungates when I was an intern and Carolyn was my boss. Not only did Carolyn get me my first full-time job, her and Steve put a roof over my head for months while I figured out how to become a first-time homeowner. To this day, I have no idea what I did in this life to deserve meeting these two. Carolyn and Steve have been such pivotal characters in me learning to "adult". My favourite memories of Steve:
1) When I had any male friends over, he would make it known that there was an air mattress in the basement...no funny business. He looked out for me as much as he chirped me. He told me what kind of guy I should end up with...Meghan, I'll be sure to pass this on when you start dating (at the age of 25).
2) He once sent me pictures (different angles) of his poor coworker (against his will) attempting to set us up but said the only pictures he could find were of me and the kids picking our noses. He always claimed to be a master matchmaker.
3) He left for work before us and I remember a lot of cold mornings, he would scrape the ice/snow off my mini cooper before I got out of the house.
4) His big head. The only person I know with a larger head is Cole (the cutest big head though, buddy).

I'll forever remember Steve as someone who immediately made me feel comfortable and at ease. I first met him when Carolyn was dating him in University. As I go through the memories in my mind, Steve always shows up laughing and with a mischievous smile. One memory at the forefront of my mind is from when Meghan was a few days old. Steve was a new Dad, and he was giving Meghan one of her first baths. I remember looking at him and thinking of how easily he fell into the father role. He always brought humor to every situation, and even through the jokes I could see the love he had for his new baby and how he was going to be an amazing Dad. I was so happy when The Hungates came to my wedding in Mexico last year. My Mom was excited to spend some time with Steve, as she had known him throughout the years. After the wedding, I told Steve that we should all travel together again sometime and he responded with "So long as your mother can keep her hands to herself, she's been trying to open mouth kiss me all night". I think I actually laughed for weeks afterward. I'll always cherish the great times we all had together.

I remember our yearly Christmas Parties! We would buy a toy we thought the other person would enjoy as a child and then donate it to a children’s charity. We had a blast picking out gifts. My favourite was when Steve gave Sergio a potty, we all had a good laugh! Steve always knew how to make people laugh. As the years went buy Meghan joined our festivities when Steve and Carolyn became parents. Then it was time for a diaper change and Steve thought it would be a good idea to change her on the kitchen table. Well Meghan proved him wrong. We needed a new table cloth, but we all had a good laugh.

We will also never forget his deep fry birthday party. What a night, we remember turning the corner to get to the house, it instantly smelled like a fast food restaurant! I never knew all the things you could deep fry!

Steve (a.k.a. “Fungate”) was the sort who would make a beeline for you just as you were getting into the swimming pool, and, sensing you were trying not to get your hair wet, he’d either do a cannon ball into the water right in front of you, or if he was already in the water, he’d out and out heave a big splash at you with all his might. He was mischievous, to say the least. He’d barge in to your room in the morning (when you were hoping to catch a few extra winks of sleep before getting up) and abruptly flip on the lights. He could tease, sometimes almost mercilessly, and he was always out for a good time and a good laugh. And with his sharp wit and impeccable comedic timing, laughs were pretty much guaranteed just about every time you were in his company. He was always warm and affectionate, and also always very likely to greet you on any given occasion with an invitation to “pull my finger”. 

Steve had a big, kind, generous heart. And he was genuinely interested in others. On more than one occasion I’ve witnessed him meet new folks for the first time, and seen how his down to earth nature made them feel at ease. He was a great person to have around in new social situations. While he had an unending curiosity in general, I found him especially inquisitive about people. He asked folks questions to learn about them and get to know them better. I think he was so likeable too, because he was also open and sharing about himself in exchange. Steve could talk, but he was also a good listener.

There are so many memories and stories that I look forward to sharing and re-sharing over and over again with Carolyn, Meghan and Cole in the years to come. Some memories are happy ones, like when Steve invited me to come to the jeweller’s to help him pick out the engagement ring he planned to surprise Carolyn with. And some of the memories I have were sad. Like how I can remember him driving us to my dad’s funeral in his blue Volkswagen Jetta. But I am now coming to cherish even those sad memories, because together with the happy ones, they are all a testament to the richness of my friendship with Steve over the years, a friendship for which I am grateful and truly blessed.

I remember Dad talking about firing Fluffy (our hamster) out of his potato cannon. He never really did it though. He always made the noise of it though.
Love Cole

One of our favourite memories was Steve having a turkey deep fry in the front yard. All the guests were gathered in the back and we left the pot unattended in the front driveway. The oil flowed over the pot, melted through the hose and flames started shooting everywhere as the flaming hose flew around. Carolyn and Cole

I remember I was playing with my brother, we were running around, when Dad was making yorkshire puddings. The oil overflowed and started a fire in the oven. When Dad opened the oven a big fire ball hit the ceiling, when he opened it again, it came out again, but this time even bigger. We all had to go outside because of the smoke. Meghan:)

I will always remember Steve as being ever approachable, friendly, and considerate. He was such a good friend to everyone and had a generous smile and easy sense of humor. My sincere condolences to Carolyn, their children and family.

Though I didn't know Steve well I was fortunate to cross paths with him a handful of times after graduation. Steve was the kind of guy who lifted the mood of any gathering. His sense of humour and friendliness were contagious. I was always better for having spent time with him and wished I'd had the opportunity to do so more often.

I will always remember Steve for the joy and light-heartedness he brought every time he entered the room. Steve was a truly warm, truly funny and truly caring individual. I had the pleasure of being class-mates with Steve for 5 years and over those 5 years I remember many times when Steve would tease me about any number of things, always in a fun way that challenged me to think and kept me on my toes. Steve had a contagious smile, and always a twinkle in his eyes. Steve was a very good friend and we were very lucky to have him in our graduating class.

I remember being in a meeting with Steve a couple of years ago, regarding a particularly.....troublesome...client. After some time of heated debate, and looking for my usual ally on these things, I turned to Steve, who'd been sat next to me, on his phone, the whole time (which was pretty standard for him), and said "What do you think, Steve?"...he looked up, startled for a second, then gave his trademark grin and said "Oh, sorry, I was sorting out swimming lessons for my kids!" (I think it was swimming) I think that sums Steve up - his heart was always in the right place, and no matter how frustrated you may have been with him, you couldn't help but smile back when he gave you that grin.

I remember Steve as a dedicated and devoted dad. He used to spend hours to play with Meghan and Cole after work in his backyard. In the summer time, I could hear and see he talked, giggled, chased the kids around or swung them in the swing hung in his backyard big tree. He was so friendly and always appeared with a big smile when he came to my house to pick up Meghan. In some weekend mornings, when I made a walk around the blocks of our area, there was him running around with his family.

He liked hot wings, and hot sauce. He was a fan of classical jazz. He was the only other person I knew to own a Los Lobos album. He rubbed his nose a lot, with the back of his hand or using his index finger and thumb, side to side, especially when he was tired. He had a big head (but not the biggest) and as long as I knew him he kept his hair short. He rarely grew a beard. He didn't have an athletic build but he was sneaky fast when he ran. He took pride in and enjoyed being a part of small sporting fraternities, like rugby and curling. He never prioritized his own emotions beyond a laser focus one one thing: fun. His legendary pranks were thought out and executed with care, and enthusiasm. He relentlessly teased but never in a mean way. His feigned anger was as unrealistic as it was hilarious. He was loveable, and he was loved. Despite it also coming naturally, he worked at being affable. He was always trying out new material, from jokes that made you groan to personal stories the details of which were invariably less interesting than how they were described. He fashioned himself an engaging storyteller. We humoured him, and against all odds, he delivered. He loved movies and attended many of them, with Carolyn, and cheaply. As a friend, he was reliable and fun to be around. He looked for adventure and shared experiences. When I think of Steve I find myself remembering more of Steve's personality traits and core values than I do specific experiences. He had a lot going for him. He loved his family and his friends with everything he had, and that's why it felt so good.

He was always able to squeeze out a smile, no matter how hard you tried not to. Steve hugged me so hard one time, that I let out a tiny fart, and was forever known to him as princess tootsalot. My first memory of him was that we were one of the rare few in Chemical Engineering who actually chose Chemical Engineering as their first choice, and this created a bond. We spent a summer in Calgary in 1998 on a work term, taking advantage of being out west. We photobombed a high school group picture before the phrase existed, and pretended to be a young pregnant couple at the Zoo when the rain was going to damage my camera, trying to collect as many disapproving looks as possible, then feeling the guilt when truly pregnant women were trying to find a place to sit. Being with Steve meant it would be effortless fun and laughter. Even stories I shared with my colleagues recently of hot/cold games in the car have them in giggles. His music tastes were broad, but not pretentious. And his friendship was warm, but not overbearing. I was thrilled to hear when he started dating Carolyn, my first work-term buddy, and to see pictures of their kids via Facebook as our lives took us in separate directions. Such a goof, and such a guy.

I'll always remember the great times we had with you, your family and our circle of friends.

So I was there at the inaugural deep fried turkey roast. It happened at Halls Lake around 2007, but the date is fuzzy as perhaps some liquid assistance was involved. Anyway as you might expect from two chemical engineers - Steve and I - conducting a 'chemistry' project of sorts, we had this nailed down. Steve had arranged the high test burner apparatus and I think I grabbed a sufficiently large pot. Steve brought the oil - there was a lot of oil. So we filled the pot probably 3/4 full of oil and lit the after burner. The thermometer let us know it was time to immerse the bird. This is where physics comes in and we chemical types were never stellar at physics. Apparently we neglected to consider that the bird also took up space and upon immersion hot oil immediately came flowing out of the pot. No damage, the cottage did not become engulfed in flames and we had no nocturnal bear visits. The pot did get pretty black. And Steve, to his credit, took it to the lake and made it shine. The turkey was great! I never got to participate in another turkey deep fry, but I hear that Steve became an expert and it was one of his favourite things.

(A litte bit of context - Steve is our next door neighbour - and we share one big backyard with no fences ) I have lots of great memories of Steve. However, one particular memory stands out - It was the 2014 world soccer finals - Germany vs Argentina - Our living room and front driveway was full of german flags and Germany fans - it was half way through the game - and suddenly out of nowhere -Steve runs into our living room via the back patio door - sporting his blue and white Argentina jersey - makes a lap in our living room, with a big smile on his face and then runs back out back to his side of the yard to the boos and heckles of the disapproving german fans.

ps- I also have vague memories of him hanging bananas from the tree in the back as some kind of kid birthday game :)

John and I will forever remember Steve at the Ronchka's Thanksgiving dinner table, shooting little cannon balls from the Pirate Ship centerpiece, laughing especially loud if he happened to score a hit.. A truly great and fun guy.

When I think of Steve, i think of his mischievous smile. It was like he was giggling "guess what I did". I often wondered what he was up to but I also knew it was likely going to be funny and it usually was. He was always wanting to have a good laugh and enjoy peoples company.