My name is Bill Mahoney I’ve known Speed (that’s wht we used to call him) for the best part of 45 years. So long that I’ve long thought of Steve as a brother. In 1977 Irvin and Shirley Reede were divorcing, and Steve did not adapt well to this change in his family structure. Having trouble at home, Steve moved in with me and my family, and lived with us for almost four months before moving back in with Shirley. He was thereafter a brother to me. Back in those days, Steve and I were inseparable. We played minor football together… and in 1978 our team the Arena Broncos won the City Sr Bantam title and Steve was named defensive MVP. We skied together at Big White. Spending most winter weekends on the mountain, Steve became an excellent skier and was known for his awesome goats-kick jumping maneuver… Man he could fly ! We fished and camped in the mountains with my step dad in the summertime. We also hung out with a close-knit group of friends at the fishladders in Springfield Park when we weren’t working in the orchards picking fruit, where we would riskily dive in off the spillway into the pool at the bottom of the ladder. I got an after school job at Pizza hut in 1979 and before long I was able to get Steve hired on as well. Steve always was able to make new friends quickly because of his personality and comedic outlook on life… and those days working and partying with staff from Pizza Hut were probably some of the best times of our lives. Living in Kelowna I still occasionally run into Pizza Hut people from those days that ask about Steve wher we recount some story or another from back then and always have a good laugh in our reminiscence. Steve and I worked and played together for those few years almost inseparably, and then I went to university in the fall of 1980. Steve continued to work at the Pizza hut for a couple more of years and then in Spring of 1983 I needed cash to continue my studies… so I convinced Steve to quit and come with me… we set out to Calgary to see if we could get a job in the oil patch. We stayed in Calgary with a cousin of a good friend up in the Varsity area and set out to look for work. It wasn’t long and we both got hired by two separate companies within days of each other and that’s how Steve got started in in oil exploration. Steve was so smart and seemed to pick up on the technical and logistic aspects of this work quickly. I made enough to get back to university in the fall of 1984 and Steve began his career. It was 1985…I graduated and couldn’t get a job in my field, so I got in touch with Steve, and he got me on his crew JRS Geophysical. By this time, Steve was the crew supervisor, and I was again a grunt… but I was working with my brother again, and it had a feeling of old times. Of course, Steve, being Steve … made friends with everyone in his crew and was repected by his company. I was quick to fit in with this bunch as I was Steve’s buddy. In letting the old crew of guys know of Steve’s passing, even after all the years, JD, Mulley, Tony, Mario and Sculley are extremely saddened at this news and send their condolences to his family. Steve and I again were working and playing together like old times, and back in Kelowna later that summer we got apartments across from each other, me with my girlfriend Robyn, and Steve with his dad Irv who needed a helping hand. Our apartment buildings were so close that we could talk to each other out of the windows of our units. And eventually the landlords noticed and put a stop to it …I cant imagine why…LOL In 89 I broke my foot on a helicopter job in the Rockies and went back to Kelowna where I finally got a job in my field. Steve moved to Calgary shortly afterward to be closer to his employer and work, whereafter he started traveling around the world looking for oil … Australia and Southeast Asia, Russia, China , and down south in Texas and Oklahoma were just a few places where he prospected for oil. Steve absolutely fit right into this life…Garnie the owner of JRS Geophysical called him the Stevedore which translated was a traveling ship’s hand …It seemed to fit. Steve was a hard worker and wouldn’t direct you to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself. I recall once Steve coming back to camp, his jeans and jacket all torn up and greasy and his hair in a state of dishevelment … Garnie picked up on this quickly and remarked that Steve’s appearance looked like there was about $2 between him and destitution… LOL Steve then quickly remarked that with a raise in pay he could address the situation immediately… LOL Steve had such a big heart, and because of his comedic views on life, he had a way of getting along with people no matter where his feet took him. Steve made friends wherever he went and got to be well known and respected in the seismic field. Steve loved animals… especially cats but because his lifestyle wouldn’t allow pets he bought a life-size cut -out cat and named him Flat Cat and took it with him wherever he went… LOL The last time we spent together was in August of 2010 when he visited my family and my folks in Kelowna. On that trip Steve and my son Bryn became best buddies …My kids even call him Uncle Steve after that trip. This warmed my heart, because it affirmed my long standing brotherhood with Steve. Sometime after that last visit… Steve had an accident in Las Vegas at Meriam’s ( his sisters) place. A balcony railing gave way and Steve fell hurting himself really bad. This was a challenging time for Steve as he was unable to work for a couple of years, and in my frequent conversations with him I could tell that he wasn’t the same guy. Steve lived in constant pain after that accident in Vegas and was still able to make me laugh whenever we talked… he may have lost half a step, but this is who Steve was. Our paths didn’t again cross… and we always kept in touch … and when we talked… the game was always to see how hard we could make each other laugh. My belly was sore very often after catching up with Steve… LOL This account of my relationship with Steve over the years is exceedingly abridged… there are so many stories of our antics and escapades that I could tell you… and obviously this abridged G-rated version of my friendship with Steve is also cleaned up considerably for this audience. LOL In closing ….. I reflect that Steve was my brother in every description except in blood…. And I am lamenting in that, I truly thought that there would be time to make more memories with my brother. Speed … I love you from the bottom of my heart brother ….and will miss you during the rest of my journey…. Rest in Peace and Godspeed.