Steve was born September 11, 1962 he was the fourth of mom and dad. When mom and I talked a few years ago about all us kids she mentioned that she that they were tossed between a number of names, Steve won out, but the 2^nd was very close but they decided that The Last Rowe did not sound just right.

Steve always the adventurer when he was a toddler he always wanted to chase after Pam or me. Mom had a hard time keeping him in the yard. She finely came up with an idea that worked, of course it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment today, but she tie a rope to his waist and he would only be able to go as far as the end of the line. However, that did not stop him from trying to come with us, it did take a few attempts before he realized that he had a limit as to how far he could go. I will let you imagine how he came up with his results. Lets just say he ended up sitting down quite a bit.

Growing up Steve was the Rowe family version of Dennis the Menace. He always seemed to do things meaning well, with some interesting results:

When we lived here in Westminster in the 60’s there was a pizza place that was our favorite, called Blinkies, we would go every other week or so. This one time when he was about 5 years Stevie as we called him back then, wanted to get all cleaned up, so he decided to take a bath. For whatever reason he turns on the tub and both sinks in the bathroom. The problem he had was he could not turn the water off? So as the water started overflowing, the tub and sinks he knew he had to stop the water some how, so he placed towels at the door (to soak up the water) then he left out the back door. Of course by this time Steve was declared missing in action and we started searching the house for him, when mom saw that the bathroom door was locked and water coming out from under the door. She fearing he drowned she panicked and dad being the super hero that he is, broke down the door and slide across the wet floor. Steve however was still missing, we did find him eventually sound a sleep in a closet.

Another time he wanted to do something special so he decided to make a cake for mom, as he was making the cake he naturally baked, the frosting.

Steve did learn to cook however and became a very good cook; I remember when Steve basically catered the reception when Bev and I got married. Everyone told me the food was great (However I had to take their word for it as I didn’t get to taste anything that day). But I have tasted his cooking, in fact when we lived together in 95 he did most of the cooking, he was a very good cook.

In 1978 just after I joined the navy Steve began to work on cars his first was a Ranchero that we had it began to have a fuel leak and he wanted to fix it. He decided he needed to replace the fuel line. So being the enterprising young man that he was he used aquarium air tubing of course the heat generated by the engine caused the tubing to melt and thus caused a fire. He had learned how to work on cars with out burning them since.

Another time that I know we all remember was the time that we had this old couch that was going to get tossed, so instead of taking it to the dump he thought it would be better to just burn it in the fireplace. Everything was going fine until the police showed up, they where a bit concerned about all the smoke coming out of the chimney since it was a very Hot August Day.

As you can tell he was our Dennis the Menace!

The comic strip family circus a few years ago had a strip that reminded me of our family as we grew up.

The first block had a messy room and the mom asked who made this mess? A. I don’t know.

The second scene had a mess in the family room Q. who did this? A. I don’t know.

Third had bikes and skates all over the yard Q. who did this? A. I don’t know?

Well, as we were growing up mom or dad would ask, who broke this glass, who made this mess? The answer was always Steve did it.

As we where kids, Steve 5 years younger then I, we shared the same bedroom. There were many times that Steve could not get to sleep. So I would tell him to close his eyes, and we would jump on a magic bed to go take a trip. Our trips mostly where to Ohio and see our grandparents. As we flew around I would say things like can you see grandma or grandpa, or lets roll down the small hill in grandma and granddads back yard. Want to play in the snow? Smell those cookies? He would always say yes and eventually fall asleep.

(this was added just before we started when I saw Terri,

I saw our old babysitter and asked if I can relate this story,

After she awoke from a nap, she was looking for something that was very important to her, her teeth!

Well after searching for them awhile they were found Steve had them he thought they were his? I think he was 5 or 6 at the time.)

In around 1989 Steve and I worked together installing cable TV, one day as I was doing a mid span (hang ladder on the phone lines between the poles) somehow my ladder broke as I was climbing up. I injured my knee and when the call went out, Steve was the first one there to help me.

A story that we did not know was told to Pam by a friend of Steve’s Renee, Apparently then went out to Silverado Canyon and she had fell and stopped breathing. Steve picked her up and took her to his car and raced to the hospital speeding running red lights being chased by the police. He got her to the hospital and saved her life and he did not get a ticket.

One thing about Steve everybody will agree he was always willing to help out whenever he was needed. If you called Steve if he was able he’d dropped whatever he was doing and assists however he could. From helping build an addition to some ones home, to working on your car, or just to talk.

Most recently with the illness of our mother Steve was always ready to help out Dad, weather to take Mom to her doctor appoints or to cover dad at the office Steve was very much involved in mom’s treatment. Always asking the question that needed to be asked.

During the past couple of weeks we have heard many stories from different people who all have said that Steve touched their lives.

Steve was always a kid at heart, he related to his nephews quite a bit. He was always trying to include them in a lot of activities. Weather it was going to the movies or to the beach or just hanging out at the house he would include them.

Steve always succeeded in all that he attempted, he’d start a new job and soon by his commitment to his work he would advance. It did not matter what it was weather it was installing cable TV, or renting videos, or working in fast food he always impressed those he worked for.

Steve has had a very interesting life some real hard knocks and some true blessings, and I know he’d be the first to say Stevie, Claudia and even Sophia are truly his blessings. He loves his kids they were everything to him. Always had good things to say about them and very proud of them.

At Christmas time he would seem to always get the things the kids wanted. I remember when he made for Sophia a doll house in 1994 and then again for Claudia a couple of years ago he was as much excited about giving them those gifts as they were to receive them. Maybe more so. And the same with Stevie any gift he gave it was as if he got it himself.

If you recall in the movie with Jimmy Stewart It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey felt everyone would be better off if he had never been born. In the end we find that everyone effects the lives of others that they are important even if they themselves do not believe this. Steve has touched so many people in his life that because of him we all are better for knowing him.

I admire my little brother; he always even during times of struggle seemed to be able to keep for the most part a positive attitude.

Though I don’t know all of the details of his life I do know he had many trials and triumphs. I admire him for his courage to fight those hard knocks and picking himself up with help from many different people.

I know it is hard to avoid those who you are close to, but who also help you go down the wrong path. Steve chose to avoid those who would lead him back down that wrong path. Steve the last few months has started getting his life back on track, he was clean and sober for a while now and he started to attend church, and he got himself a new job which he told me he was excited about starting.

He also told me that he wanted to help others who had found themselves in the place that he had been. He so much wanted to help others to get their lives back on track.

The day we disconnected life support it was hard thing for the family to do. We knew how he had felt, as we have watched our mother go through so many trying times with her own illnesses. Steve told us all he did not want to go through that. I must admit it was hard standing there watching my younger brother clinging to life. But as I stood there I knew what he was going to be doing and I was both excited for him and sad for us.

This mortal existence that we live for such a brief time in eternity prepares us for further growth.

I shared with Pam when we first found out how grave the situation with Steve was, I asked her how did she feel when Jeffrey graduated from High School? She told me she was both sad and proud. Sad that her little boy was all grown up and entering adulthood, but at the same time she was proud of how he became. I told her that we can look at it the same way with Steve, he has graduated from this mortal life and is now entering a new stage in life.

Hebrews 9:27-28 states,

27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Steve’s time here in mortality was complete and his time to graduate had arrived. Though his graduation was a lot sooner and unexpected then any of us had thought or hoped, he has gone to a much better place.

The third chapter of John, Christ tells us

15. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Mosiah 16:8 in the book of Mormon

"The grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."

Because of the Atonement of Christ we all have the ability to escape spiritual death, I know Steve knew who Christ was, that he is the Son of our Heavenly Father, that he is our beloved savior. I also know that right now Steve is with those in our family who has gone before, our grandparents and our cousin Terri.

So as we grieve for the lost of our brother and friend we can also rejoice in the fact that we will see him again when it is our turn to past through that veil into eternity and graduate from this brief moment in life called mortality. Steve is experiencing many things that we here can not imagine he is learning more of what our purpose here on earth is for.

Though Steve’s death ended his life here in mortality his life continues in the eternal, we do not need to fear death

Alma 27:28 also in the book of Mormon states,

they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.

Death is apart of life and as we grieve over those who have gone before us we can also rejoice in the fact that we have a heavenly father who loves each and every one of us. He has allowed us this short time on earth to spend with those we have come to love. To learn many things from them, and to develop our own personalities. We are who we are by those who have effected our lives, for good and bad. We have a chance here in the mortal to honor those who have touched our lives both living and those who have gone. By living our lives in honor to them we bring them honor. As long as we continue to do this they continue to be with us.

I was thinking last night of what is Steve’s legacy? As I look around this chapel I see his legacy and if you look around you’ll see it also. His children and each and every one of us are his legacies. As George Bailey discovered each person effects everyone else.

Today we celebrate his life as we remember him for what he has done, to improve his life and the lives of those around him.