Family Memories

DAD

            Well there are many as we look back over the years.  In his youth he worked with us in the pool business and we was installing a pool in Cave Junction.  Steve and Derrick went to Cascade Block to pick up 30 bags of cement and 60 bags zone-o-lite, I had headed for the job and get every thing set up.  Well I waited and when they didn’t show up I started driving back to Grants Pass. About three miles down the road I could see a big cloud ( about ½ mile ahead of me) of what looked like dust getting higher and higher, the thought ran thru my mind that there’s been a wreck. When I got there it was not a wreck but there was several bags of cement and zone-o-lite broken and skewn across the road, every time a care went by the dust cloud would go higher and higher. They did not tie down the load , around a sharp curve at ???? speed and dumped the load.

            Steve remember coming down from Machu picchu (sp) and the telling of The Never Ending Story ? It has been a parents delight to be invited to a Med school students Honor Awards, then to have a Orthopaedic Surgeon, Bishop, Stk Pres, Pilot, sweet little 182 owner, great Dad and Grandad,  yep Son the story never ends, I’m excited to watch the rest of the story.

Love Dad

 MIKE

He did an amazing act of kindness for me right before he left to serve his mission in Peru.  I was 12 years old (he was almost 19).  My mom had given me permission to ride the school bus after school to my friend's Carl Heckler, house.  I went to his house and we were skate boarding.  We were trying to go over a small jump.  I sprained my ankle and came home in terrible pain, it was so swollen.  I thought I was going to die from the pain!  Steve, already showing his future aptitudes, quickly went to work.   He asked me to have a seat as he ran off to get supplies.  He came back with an armful of first aid supplies.  He rubbed DMSO all over the ankle and massaged it into the injury.  I though I just ate a garlic sandwich!  He then wrapped the ankle with an ace wrap and gave me permission to go on the campout.  It was the worst campout I ever went on!  I was trying to walk in the snow with  a sprained ankle!  I found a walking stick, but it did little good!  The pain was intolerable the whole weekend!  I didn't say anything to my leader Tom Hoak, as I didn't want to miss out.  But I will always remember Steve doctoring me up with love and compassion!

 Love you brother,  Mike   

JERA

I think I was 11 when Steve and Rach were moving back to Portland from Utah. Somehow, Mom and Dad talked them into Phil and I “helping” them move J There are a few memories I have from that trip. Somewhere along the way we stopped at a gas station, after we all got back in the little Subaru Steve hade gone into the convenience store, then got back last to the car, as he climbed into the driver seat. He asked “who wants ½ a candy bar?” I immediately spoke up and said “I do!” Then he turned around and gave Phil a whole candy bar, and proceeded to split the other one in half and hand it to me. I just sat there for a second in disbelief while Phil grinned like the Cheshire Cat thinking himself very clever.

… Also during that trip Steve though it would be a great time to let Phil take a turn at the wheel being the cool big brother that he was. It lasted about 5 miles which might have been 4 miles too long for Rachel, Steve was very in tune to her anxiety and was quick to take back over to soothe her.

By the time we got to Portland to the little one bedroom apartment, we were all puking sick. We had eaten something along the way and we were all trying to share the little bathroom quickly taking turns with everyone vomiting etc… I remember we were all sitting on the living room floor and Steve started a “game” to see who he could get to puke first by conjuring up disgusting food combinations like ketchup, toothpaste and anchovies – one terrible combination leading to the next.

Steve is also always very aware of family circumstances. It is comforting to know that if I ever am wondering what’s going to on with any particular person in the family I can always go to Steve as a wealth of information as he keeps up with everyone. It’s very comforting. J

In all sincerity - Steve, I love you very much! I am so grateful for the advice and love that you share with me – not always direct advice, but as you live your life on a straight and steady course I am grateful for the example you are to me and the constant support you give me. I love you brother! Happy Birthday, I am glad you were born! I am grateful you are my older brother.

MOM

I will start with the Banana story first this time…Jerry and I disagree when it happened. I thought it was here when

Steve was in 2nd or 3rd grade. Jerry says when we were in California. Steve will have to straightened us out on it. We are getting old and forgetful.

Anyway, We were called in for a teachers conference.. I thought the teacher was Mrs Allsup… She said Steve disrupts the class.

she said he does get his work done quickly and correctly but then gets attention some way and the kids like it but does not get their work done. One time he was laying on the floor between the rows of desks and saying  he was a banana. We came to the conclusion that he just needed to keep busy , so he was given more work and that settle that problem.

My second story

I think Steve was 14 when I was pregnant with Jera. He let us know that he did not want any more brothers and he especially didn't want a sister. Way back then, we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl until it was born. No tests like they do now unless there was a problem with baby or mother.

Anyway.. we did have a cute little girl named Jera Leigh. The day we got home from the hospital, Steve was the first at the door to take the little baby from me!!  For not wanting  any more brothers or a sister., he was the most attentive to his sister when she was little. I'm sure now he is very happy he has a sister.

DON

Stinky Steve:

Lots of memories of my next older brother.

Working out in the green room (no bench press) just laying on the floor; The smallest, wildest 4-H pig ever getting beat with a 2x4 on the way to the fair; Then not making weight; When he invited me to hang out with him and his friends at the county fair; the day he brought the chevelle home and listening to him describe it to Buck Howard over the phone "its about 6 feet wide and really fast"; flips off the spring diving board; jumping off the cliff into the smith river after work then playing penny-anti poker at night; working on the chevelle's clutch so he could go on a date; the last phone call with him before he left on his mission; the day I made him eat grass on our front lawn; the "t" hand sign was probably one of the earliest gang signs; the day I ate grass, in retaliation, on our front lawn; Dukes of Hazard in the white flat bed; "It will ride, lets go"; cutting wood on the 80 and splitting it until dark; His football team going to stake and having to buy special shoes to play at autzen; his pet nail; getting mailbox from him for chrstmas; watching him demonstrate how Jackies head would fit through a basketball hoop when she was a baby.

Happy birthday Steve.

Love Don

ps: I remember watching Steve construct the ultimate break-in proof pre-mission box to store all his cool stuff out of plywood and aluminum angle iron. They one day, after he was gone, I remember sneaking into the attic to see how break-in proof it really was: only to find it already open and picked through... way to go Mike.

love Don

PHIL

What is said about a Legend?

When I was young, the greatest thing that could have happened was for one of the older brothers to make a visit or to call home.  I looked forward to spending time with them.  Even after their visits, the stories would continue and we would get mom and dad’s commentaries about how the older brothers were doing.  It seemed that Steve was always involved in a happy life.  One Christmas, it seems right before Steve’s mission, Jera and I received presents from Steve.  I was given Mr. Magoo joke cards.  He told me that I needed to improve my jokes and these cards would do the trick.  So that all may be aware, I never made it through all the Mr. Magoo cards; I became this funny without the cards. 

That same Christmas, Steve gave Jera a box - crammed full of packages of gum.  She had so many packs of gum.  To a kid, she had hit the jackpot.  The game became who could swindle her out of the most packs.  I would beg and plead and she would hand over a couple of packs at a time.  In a day or so – she was down to a few packs left in her gift box and in my drawer was placed the pile of packs that had been swindled.  I think it was my Mr. Magoo jokes which put Jera in the spirit of giving. 

When Steve was preparing for his mission – he built for himself a beautiful plywood chest in which to store all of his items.  This large wooden box was assembled in the attic and locked for safe keeping until his return.  Though Steve swallowed the key, no longer than the plane lifting from the tarmac did it take Don to have the lid opened.  By the time, the plane landed in Peru – all clothes were assimilated into wardrobes and were being worn for the 2^nd time at school.   Some say that Don had secretly been watching from the carport rafters while the box construction was underway, looking for chinks in the armor.

When in the MTC, Steve wrote home about the time in which he and companions blocked a staircase with rolls of TP. Elders couldn’t go up or down the stairs.  Instantly, I knew my destiny upon entering the MTC.  It seemed that Steve would mention that he had done something and the standard had been set.  Such was the case, when I had heard about Steve’s belly button lint collection.  While serving on his mission he would collect his lint in a container.  Unfortunately, my lint collection didn’t make it too far into my mission.  My rather remarkable mission lint collection was voluminous after only a few short months, but mysteriously it disappeared after a day of cleaning, had by my mamita.  Apparently the collection was so majestic that her eye was caught and she had to have the collection for her own.  I had never learned Steve’s secrets in lint protection – how did he guard keepsakes of such value?  Did he have the belly button lint spun into a nice sweater?  I’ll probably never know. 

If you ask my children who is their favorite uncle – they would most likely tell you Steve – why you might ask?  It may have something to do with the years of brainwashing.  Often, Kierstin and I would notice during our visits or family gatherings - Steve chumming up to our children.  We’d notice Steve disappearing into the kitchen and then reappearing with cookies, candies or icecream.  You could often hear him ask, “Who is your favorite uncle?”  When they would respond,” Uncle Steve” the next scene would be them smacking happily on a piece of licorice.

We love our brother and uncle.  Steve has been a wonderful example my entire life.  How grateful I am that he is in our family.  We hope he enjoys his birthday and continues to experience all the best that life has to offer.

GRANDMA GREEN

When Steve was born, I went down to help with Kenny and Pat for a week or so. Little Stevie had colic so when he ate at night he would cry lots. This one night Pat nursed him and then I took him to bed with me so Pat and Jerry could get a little sleep. I guess we all went to sleep because I woke up to a funny noise. I got up to see what it was. Pat was crying and said she couldn't find her baby. She was pulling the covers off the bed and looking under the bed. He wasn't in his bassinette either. I ask her what she was doing and she said she lost Stevie. I tried to tell her he was okay and in bed with me. It was scary for her but kind of funny to watch her. We can laugh about it now!

When I went down to help when Donald was born, I had my suitcase in one of the bedrooms.  It got pretty quiet so we went to see what Ken and Steve had found to get into. They found my body pwder in my suitcase and it was all over the bedroom.