This past week was incredibly surreal. I watched a very dear friend lose his battle with cancer. It is still very strange to think that we will never meet again in this life and it is something I think everyone who had the honor of knowing him is struggling to comprehend. It’s difficult to write about Steve Ozark in a paragraph. It’s difficult to write about Steve period, because Steve would be standing over your shoulder trying to tell you he spent a summer in his country with goats (or boats…he would not know) or that he met a very nice girl (which you could hardly understand because he would be rolling his ‘r’s so hard it would make the air around you vibrate). So to not have him here while I write this, with his effervescent presence filling the space, is deafening. And devastating. But this is what I know about Steve: Steve loved to love. He loved to know that the people around him were well taken care of and well fed. Perfect strangers could walk into a room where Steve was deep in his crafting of the perfect sandwich and leave as great friends. His ability to know what a person needed, whether it was a hug, a joke, good advice, or just a positive presence, was uncanny – it was Steve’s sixth sense. Steve was there to help his good friend Glen as he descended into his battle with Alzheimer’s. His natural ability to put Glen at ease (when many others could not) was a wonder to anyone who witnessed it. He became a champion for Glen, escorting him around the world and shielding him from harm’s way from Los Angeles to Liverpool, never asking for anything in return. I know he was a calming presence on the final tour, not only for Glen, but also for his family and the rest of the crew. There was nothing that Steve wouldnt do for Glen. From making him a flawless cheeseburger multiple times a day to staying up with him at all hours of the night to make sure he was safe while he wandered the halls of his house, Steve was that little angel with a devilish grin who sat on Glen’s shoulder…and he’s still there. Steve embodied the Aloha Spirit. He loved with his whole heart and saw every person he crossed paths with as family. If he ever had a bad day, you would never know. His zest for life was infectious and if your mood was ever sour, it wouldnt stay that way for long around Steve. Everyone was a member of Steve’s O’hana and he was the first one to let you know that very simple fact. Aloha is said in Hawaii when you say ‘hello.’ It is also what you say when you bid someone farewell. How fitting that Steve’s sign off on the phone or in a text or in an email was not a firm goodbye but a see you later? So to the man who cherished his oversized flipflops as much as we all cherished his oversized heart, I bid you a fond and loving Aloha.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 01:28:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015