September 22, 2011
Dear Steven,
I know you’ve loved receiving all the notes that we’ve left in your room over the years. Notes filled with pep talks, unsolicited words of wisdom and requests for things we want you to do or to please stop doing. So just for old time’s sake here is one last note from your Dad and I. We think you know how much you are loved, but you’ll never be able to know the depth of our sorrow and how much we will miss you. Our hearts will never be whole again. We will cherish the time our lives were blessed with you in it. We remember our wonderful times together whether it was watching you play in a T-ball game, attending a school concert, a day at the zoo, sledding up at Northern, Christmases, birthdays and too many other ordinary and extraordinary days to mention here. We can picture you with Grandpap sharing cups of coffee, coloring brightly decorated cards and pictures with Samantha, playing with babies who just love Steve, and sleeping curled up on the floor hugging Scout.
One of our most vivid memories is your first visit to the ocean. You plopped down in the sand and screamed at the top of your lungs with pure joy, trying to compete with the roaring surf. On another vacation to Universal Studios, you were more interested in dismantling solar lights around the hotel looking for geckos than any of the amusement rides. In Surf City the hunt was on for sand crabs. In San Diego, you tried surfing and pulled pranks on hotel guests. Vacations were not really your “thing” though. You were more of a homebody than a world traveler. However, being at home didn’t mean staying in the house. You were not really interested in computers or video games, and except for your favorite show “The Simpsons” - television bored you. You liked being outside hanging with friends, building skateboard ramps and playing basketball.
Steven, you couldn’t wait to get your first job. You were always a hard worker. Everyone you worked for told us that over and over again. You seemed to enjoy physical labor and working with your hands whether on a job site or installing the patio blocks around our fire pit “Up North.” As hard as you worked, you were never too tired to have an after work chat with your Dad in the backyard, always ending your conversation with the same question, “Dad, do you need help with anything before I leave?” Then off you’d go to a life we weren’t always privileged to know about. You believed that money was made to be spent. You were generous with other people and didn’t worry about pay-backs. We tried to encourage you to save and plan for the future. Oops! Sorry, we’re in your business again! So private since you’ve gotten older. It was hard to know what you were thinking or feeling much of the time. We know you lived in the moment and told us “not to worry,” but you know we did anyway. We worried a lot sometimes.
You acted tough in front of people but we got to see another side. The Steven who gave me shoulder massages while I washed dishes, who liked to bake pies and Christmas cookies, and who always said a private prayer before eating a meal.
Steven, our list of memories is long, but our time together was much too short. It is impossible for us to say
“Good-bye”, so we will just say that “We Love You Very Much” and we will hold you in our Hearts until we meet again.
Be Safe, Be Good, Love U
Love,
Mom and Dad
Steven Earl Haas was age 20. He lived in Pontiac, Michigan. Steven was a 2009 graduate of Avondale High School. He worked at Bell Forklift in Clinton Township.