Wednesday, June 10, 2020
First, my deepest condolences and biggest hugs to Linda and Kim.
While I too will always remember Steve for his jolly smile, laughter, and welcoming, living-in-the-moment nature, he will also be remembered for scaring the bejeebies out of me. My “first date” was with a foreign exchange student at Foxcroft Academy, Bodil Justesen, who lived for a year with Steve, Linda and a very little Kimber. I came to pick her up. I was nervous as hell. I knocked on the door. Steve opened the door quickly and forcefully. He said something like, who the hell are you and where do you think you are taking Bodil! He had embraced Bodil as part of his family and he loved and protected his family. I was a stranger and he was going to make sure I was worthy of dating Bodil. I probably peed myself right there on their porch. But two or three dates later, he had welcomed me into his inner circle too, laughing, telling jokes, and treating me like he knew me since I was born. When it is my turn, I want to say I lived in the moment and enjoyed that moment as much as Steve Howard did his.
With my deepest condolences, Troy Hartley
