Friendship

By: Francesca Ferrara

I first met Steve when I joined the U if U ER team as a nurse in 2012. During one very memorable shift Steve was our charge nurse and he gave me 3 patient admits in a row with bugs. I think I went through four changes of clothes that day. Even on such a hard day he filled the space with laughter. And over the years he paid me back ten fold for my efforts on bug day. He helped me transition from ER nurse into the role of assistant manager, then manager. He was my teammate and my friend for 10 years. He jumped my car battery more than once. He listened to me cry and fed me candy on hard days. Mostly, he brought endless hours of laughter.

I shared many many lunch hours with Steve and Aaron (the Smith brothers). I like to say that eating lunch with Steve was like opening a random page of the encyclopedia (or box of chocolates), you just never knew what page you were going to get. It might be about Donald trumps the Art of the deal, or indeterminate tomatoes, green house assembly, beer brewing, smoking meat, building a deck, or even what to keep in your zombie apocalypse jump pack. He spoke often of Janine and his two daughters Lillie and Abbie. He was always so proud of their individual differences and personalities.

What stands out to me most about Steve is that he lived a life of service. He was always looking for ways to support others and his community. Always so willing to lend a hand. The fact that he spent his final days fixing something and donating his organs before a funeral service on Fourth of July weekend is of no surprise. I hope he's up in heaven today with a glass of bourbon and his freedom shorts. I hope he is proud of the life he lived and the legacy he leaves behind. He will be greatly missed.