After my first blog being about this very special person, I’m sad to be responding to this message with my second. I’m pleased and proud to say Steve and I had a friendship not shared by many people, almost 10 years to the day apart in age and both Taureans… not that Steve would have ever thought that made us similar in anyway….., not that we were both incredibly stubborn, loyal and a bit mental about everything having its place. Steve had been my friend, big brother, counsellor, IT support and all things Apple….. iPhone,  iPad, the latest time saving, organiser or just plain daft useless App. Both Steve and I share a similar view on life, sense of humour and the love of people, our friends, work colleagues and other people that leave a mark on you in someway during the time they pass you by.  Steve and I would talk for ages about the people we’d met along the way and more often than not I’d end up laughing but learning something new about someone or something that would change my view. Steve definitely bought change to my life from the moment I met him in 2001, this studious, quiet and vulnerable man who sat alone in IT, soon taught me how to add up a column in excel and then taught me again and probably somewhere in the middle of 2003 I finally got it! Looking back Steve’s patience for teaching me was constantly tested….. Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Outlook, Explorer, The Internet and numerous resourcing and payroll platforms were all a constant form of entertainment for me, and for Steve a need for researching and creating short cuts for me to be able retain anything passed logging in, if I’m honest, that sometimes in itself being a challenge with remembering the URL’s and passwords! I in turn bought chaos to Steve’s world of calm and collect but soon enough we developed an understanding of each other, a friendship that I relied on and I had no idea would be so good for so long.

I’ve so many memories of Steve. Steve and I travelled to America together in 2002 and I guess this is what really sealed our friendship. During the trip we stayed in a dodgy hotel in New York which was a popular venue for drag queens… I’d make Steve meet me at my room and get in the lift with him, at the time Steve would laugh and say I’m not sure what you’re so worried about I can’t imagine being frightened of a man who looks better in a dress than you do!!! Christmas’s with Steve would always end in the same way with me being beaten at whatever game he had bought as a Christmas present to me and my family…. As most of you know Steve knew most things about most things….

More recently, I’d not spent enough time with Steve by a long way, he met Leisa and I met Joe and as these things do we both lived our lives….. When he was diagnosed I was shocked, I don’t think I accepted the prognosis for a long time, not seeing it for what it was, I couldn’t believe he was so ill on the inside however he’d carried on so well on the outside. Visiting him throughout his illness made me realise as time went on this horrible disease was taking over my friend from the inside out… breaking his body and stealing his personality…

I’m pleased to say when the time came, Steve knew he was leaving us, he was happy and at peace with his life, leaving everything in order just as you would expect. Steve didn’t suffer, feel pain or stay in hospital leading the rest of his life there he would have hated that, instead he asked us to tell him some news and slipped away quietly. We stayed with him for a while only deciding to leave when I could hear Steve’s voice in my head saying “Are you pair still here, still talking about me”….. I’m safe in the knowledge that Steve will be missed by everyone, whether Steve was known to you in person, friend, colleague or by reputation…. his contribution to the world will be one that is greatly missed.

My only sadness is that the chemo only bought him time at home and didn’t really give him the opportunity to do the things he would have really wanted. So if you’re walking in the highlands, taking a trip on the London eye or lucky enough to be going on a world cruise, spare a little thought for Steve an amazing, strong and incredible man.

Lots of love, always

Heather