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.