You may not remember, however my first trip to Hood River was 2005 to visit friends and I needed to rent some windsurfing gear. Everyone said Big Winds, no one will treat you better and they were right. My experience from that day was that you and your team treated me like a local. Fast forward to 2011 when you asked us to help with the Gorge Paddle Challenge. I immediately knew that given the way you treated me that this was something I would want to be involved in. You treat everyone like family and that has kept us coming back. There are not many people in this day age that are, "what you see is what you get" and that has not fallen far from the tree. You have created a legacy, not only in Hood River, but everyone that has met you from all around the world. Your kindness is an infection that I hope everyone gets. I know that you have lived the dream and we have been a part of that dream knowing you and your family. For that we will be forever grateful. Thank you! Sending you and your family love. Love, Byron & Julie

An example of how far and wide your energy, stoke and love reach....in the middle of Baja we meet up with a friend introduced to us by you...then while waiting for a set to roll in we end up meeting a new friend who knows you and we surf the next set for you and the stoke you have filled us all with. Much love headed your way from Baja! Kat, Corey and Scarlet

Hey Steve- I’ll start with my favorite time of our friendship. It’s when you were PC Chair and Big Winds was on 5th and Cascade and packed to the gills with clothing and equipment and the phone constantly ringing. I would come to your “office” a few times a week to go over some gnarly planning issue. I would follow you around while you answered the phone or unpacked boxes, or just sit on the step waiting for you. We would talk through, analyze, evaluate, and BS our way through to a resolution. I would always leave the shop feeling fortified to go out and slay the world of planning in HR. That’s where our friendship began, and you have remained a constant source of encouragement since then. Love you, SG💕

Hi Steve and Ginny and Family,
Counting on my fingers and toes, I think I have known you, Steve and Ginny, for about 46 years. Although we have not been extremely close all of those years, that long friendship has been responsible for many shared experiences. I met you, Steve, when we were both a couple of young hippies working at the Mt Alyeska restaurant and skiing half price( $5 lift tickets) 3 days a week. My how times have changed, but I remember those days at Alyeska, hiking Turnigan pass , and each of us sharing one of those tiny cabins as some of my fondest memories.

Later, when you moved to HR, I remember visiting the Gorge every August with my daughter, Arika, until I finally moved there for 4 years. That meant many visits to Big Winds, sailing together, dinners, and skiing Mt hood meadows together. And we got to watch each others kids grow up to the fine people they are now.

Years later I ran into our mutual friend ,Dave Seifert, at a Taj Mahal concert in Anchorage, when he informed me about that first surf trip to Cardon. The next day I was on the phone with you, and so started our 13 years of sharing waves at a spot that has become special to both of us, not only for the waves , but especially because of the wonderful people that have populated those trips.

Thanks so very much for all those memories Steve. Bonnie and I are sending you and your family good vibes and best wishes every day. I hope by entering the hospice process that you all can find some peace of mind and quiet times to share together.
Big Love from our Hearts, and all the Best Wishes in the World,
Lou and Bonnie

Hi Steve, my dad sent me the link to your Caring Bridge site. I'm glad to get the chance to connect with you on here and read your updates! You gave me my first job at Big Winds, where I spent four summers in high school. I always tell my friends now that I never had a job working indoors until I went to law school. What a privileged life! I'm grateful to know you and for your influence on my life, whether it was at Cooper Spur, on the soccer field, or on the beach. Your energy and positivity are legendary in Hood River Valley.

And of course I'm grateful for your family's support of me and my family in the early days of my spinal cord injury. Over the years I've come to realize how lucky I was to grow up where I did with the support and friendship of a small community. Hood River is a special place because of people like you and your family and I will always be grateful to call it home.

I'm wishing you peace of mind and joy as hospice takes over some of your day-to-day routine. And I'm thinking of all of you, the good times we've spent together, and sending you love.

Noah

Steve,
I was never able to fill the void on the tennis court here in Girdwood after you moved away. I have fond memories of our many matches, despite being on the losing end of most of them. You had a classic and aggressive style which I envied. I still play avidly, but never as well as you did.
We have a bit of a legacy here in the house that has often reminded me of you - the piano. We bought yours just before you left. Sherry taught a generation and a half of Girdwood kids on it. Many are now adults who still play.
It’s hardly fair that one of the most energetic guys I’ve ever known is wishing for more energy now. Take comfort knowing you made the most of it while you could, be it at work or play.
You, Ginny, and the kids are in our thoughts.

Bob and Sherry Dugan

Each April, for the past ten or eleven years now, I've had the opportunity to spend a week with Steve at Cardon Surf Resort north of Mazatlan. These are great trips because the only thing you have to worry about is getting yourself to the Mazatlan airport. From there, for a week, everything is taken care of and all that is left for you to do is focus on catching a lot of waves with great friends, eat lots of food and sleep like a rock after a hard day. I was fortunate to start on these trips early on and before my first trip to Cardon, I'd never been on a true surf trip. Steve's invite to me was really wonderful, and because of the nine or ten trips to Cardon I've started some great new friendships.

A good day at Cardon starts by waking up before the sun rises, grab a coffee and a quick bite to eat. Steve and his lifelong friend John would always get in the water before the sun fully came up. I'm always a little slower out of the gates, but before long would join them out in the lineup.

One morning it was the ideal set up for Cardon. Glassy, shoulder to head high sets rolling in and not to many guys in the lineup yet.....absolutely perfect. Steve was out there of course and getting his fill of waves early on. Steve is always patient when getting his waves and on this particular wave I was in great position to see one of the coolest things ever.

Steve turned on a picture perfect wave and starts his ride down the 200 yard left hander. Early on in the wave two dolphins surface and start jumping down the line in front of him.........as if they were escorting him down the line.........which seemed to last for over 100 yards, and the dolphins still leading the all the way until a smooth "kickout" out the back by Steve. It was insane, I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. It was, and is, one of the most jaw dropping moments in nature I've ever seen and I've seen nothing like it since.

Steve, thanks for all the great memories with you and ALL(except for that one guy from FL., haha) of the Cardon bandits over the years!!

Jim

Steve, I hope you are enjoying a comfortable day. The many flattering comments must bring some peace in knowing how much you are loved.

I recall how your endless energy and positivity bolstered our shared activities in the long gone time of the Mitey Mites and Cooper Spur. No matter the snow conditions or the emotions of racing, you could always be relied upon for a sparkling smile to remind us that somewhere the sun was shining. Thank you for that.

Those were the early years of your living Hood River. You’ve continued to create a legacy that will prevail in the valley you chose to call home. Furthermore, your personality has impacted the business and athletic communities. Your influence will carry forward with the generations to come. Hood River is a better place to live because of the life you chose to live here. Again, thank you for that.

Of course, your greatest legacy is your family. Ginny, Erin, and Jodie inherit your spirit. They have legacies of their own, which benefit from having you as a husband and father.

I am proud to call you a friend.

Much love,

John

Hi Steve, Ginny, Jodie, Erin et al. Thanks so much for setting up this site. It’s a wonderful way to communicate with all the folks who love Steve. I too am thinking about the magical days with Cooper Spur Race Team and all of Steve’s contributions. He is such a force in Hood River, always on the cutting edge with soccer, windsurfing, stand up paddling and e-bikes, to name a few. All of our lives have been enriched by knowing him.

We walk down Indian Creek Trail and up the stairs several times each week. Each time I go up the stairs, I think about our Cooper Spur dry land training days. You had us do tuck jumps up those stairs. Steve, you led the charge (Jodie and Lindsay were probably right behind you) and I was in the rear with Roger and Emma in front of me! Remembering those days, makes me smile!

As I watch the wind blow the leaves from the trees, I think of how your influence has spread, like the leaves through so many lives! I am so thankful for your positive words, smiles and encouragement. Prayers and thoughts coming your way.