This site is a tribute to the memory of Steve Modzelewski, which we launch and dedicate on the tenth anniversary of his passing. Artist, teacher, friend, and partner. Beloved husband of Mary Anne (née Jones); dear brother of Virginia Perrin; dearest brother-in-law, uncle, great uncle, friend and mentor. Best friend of Ken Worley and Hunny. Steve will be greatly missed by us all.
The beauty of his art, his influence, and our memories of him live on.
Ken Worley, mentor
Art is space and light. Steve took us on his journey into the light. He has become that light…he is star stuff. Stay in the light!
Love, Ken Worley
Joni Doyle, friend
Mary Anne and I went to high school and college together. I knew about Steve and how he stole Mare's heart from the start. Steve had a lovely, gentle and playful spirit. His playful spirit would show up unexpectedly, and suddenly Steve was making up a song. On one of my many visits to New Mexico to visit Mare and Steve, we found some money in a parking lot. Next thing you know, Steve is improvising lyrics and a tune about finding money. We laughed so hard together, the three of us. Once, after hiking in the beautiful mountains that were Steve's second home, we decided to go to the Santa Fe Opera. They were performing a new piece. As we watched the opera, somehow Steve and I got the giggles. It had something to do with whether the chorus of male singers onstage were all bald. As Steve and I were checking with each other to figure out if everyone was in fact bald, we were being shushed by audience members. The giggles began and morphed into uncontrollable (but attempting to control) laughter. Mare was doing her best "hall monitor" look to stop us, but it only made us laugh (or try not to) harder! That experience ranks among my best laughs ever! On another visit, Mare and I drove to Steve's campsite in Utah. There we found Steve and his beloved Hunny. Steve was gracefully walking toward us in a long white tunic with a broad-brimmed hat making a stark contrast to the red ocher background of massive rocks embracing him and falling off far below. Such beauty stays with me always. That darkest of nights, Steve, Mare and I rested on a huge rock and gazed up at the most gorgeous star-filled sky I have ever seen. We saw a shooting star together. We three had always been very close but we grew closer in an extra-terrestrial way. I still miss Steve. He will always glow in many lives. Thank you Mare, my precious friend, for gracing my life with Steve. I am better for it. Forever love with forever friends.
Steven Langhorst, friend
I met him in 1990 in Santa Fe. He and Marianne were living in John Sloan's studio. My wife and I took a spring break trip to visit Steve and Marianne. I had never met them. And I really wanted to go on a float trip in the Ozarks, but what the hey. It was something different. Didn't see much of Steve that trip as he was studying in Albuquerque during the week. But Santa Fe and Steve were different. I fell in love with Santa Fe right away. Through the years we visited them several times in New Mexico and when they would return to St. Louis.
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Georgia Binnington, friend and colleague
Every one of us knew Steve in our own way. He was husband, relative, friend, colleague, teacher…
But always, every day in the core of his being Steve was an artist. He drew, he painted, he created.. He didn’t stop..
I think that his love of making art spurred him on to teach art as well. He wanted to share that joy of creation…
I met Steve in 1984 because I needed to learn something… I was part of a private press in St. Louis and we wanted to learn a printing technique.. so we visited Ken Worley’s classroom and met Steve.. He became a friend, teacher, artist ….showing at my art gallery… Of course because I met Steve, I met Mary Anne, who today is one of my best friends.
Our lives are all tapestries woven of many threads from many people and places…and we can only see the threads when much of the weaving is done..as it is for me.. I can look back and trace so much good in my life to that first meeting with Steve and then with Mary Anne.
First Steve exhibited at our gallery. His rich landscapes brought color, peace and light to the space. After he came to New Mexico, when Mary Anne decided she needed to come here too, she more or less gave me her job at Washington U. Many years later I am still there..in a place that changed my life.. because I know Steve and Mary Anne.
Jan Snow, friend
I first met Steve when I was a colleague of Mary Anne many years ago in the WashU admissions office. They were clearly each other's better half. Their wedding was so much fun and full of love and friendship that it still slips into my memories even today. Steve's talent was God given, but his drive and ability to teach painting to others was developed through his work ethic. Steve had an alias in our office--he was also known as Herbie Lovett. That story still brings us a chuckle. His life was cut down way too early. We are lucky that we can still know him through his paintings and through the love of our MAM.
Michael Barthelmes, family friend
I have many wonderful memories of Steve and they are all overflowing with the same spontaneous creativity that so many people are describing here, but one stands out to me in particular. I was 8 or 9 years old and Steve stopped by our house in Wisconsin as he was passing through. I think his pickup truck was equipped with hoops like a covered wagon, but that’s another story…
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Carol Halski, sister-in-law
My brother-in-law, Steve Modzelewski, was a favorite member of our family. I remember the day he married my sweet sister, Mary Anne. It was the most glorious day ever! Our son, John Halski, MaryAnne's Godchild, was the ring bearer. The ceremony was so beautiful. The day was so beautiful. The reception was so beautiful. I carry the memory of that day in my heart, and, I hope I never forget it. It was the day that Steve officially became ours. If you've ever read Hunger Games, you are familiar with the characters. Mary is MY Prim. I would definitely volunteer to take her place in the lottery. So, you can imagine how much we loved Steve. My Prim chose HIM. Steve was definitely one of a kind. You never knew what he might be wearing when you saw him. My favorite outfits were the toga-like garments he would wear while painting, or creating something. He was so self confident! He was so secure in just who, and WHAT he was......an artist! A creator! A human being of the highest edition! Steve NEVER spoke ill of anyone.
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Juaquin Moya,
friend and soul connection
I met Steve in Albuquerque, NM and we worked together at Bosque School. From the beginning, Steve stood out to me as an inspiring teacher who attracted all kinds of students, especially those on the fringes. I recall observing him during our faculty meetings with pencil and sketch book in hand, drawing a portrait or landscape. It was one of my favorite things to do during our weekly faculty meetings. I have so many memories of Steve at Bosque School as an art teacher. The art installation of birds Steve made with his students still hangs in the atrium of Budagher Hall at Bosque School.
Theresa Brown, Ph.D., niece
When I was graduating from 8th grade, I got to travel to New Mexico to spend a week with my aunt Maryanne and uncle Steve. That trip still holds a special place in my heart. I felt so grown up ... my first time on a plane and I flew by myself! We went camping in the mountains, explored cliff dwellings, visited art studios, and saw the southwest. I am so grateful to both aunt Maryanne and uncle Steve for that special time. I remember uncle Steve in particular, encouraging me to explore and trusting me out in the woods. He had a quiet confidence about him. He always seemed to know who he was and happy to be himself. I admire that a great deal. I miss you uncle Steve!
Erin Yonak, great-niece
I was very little when I met Uncle Steve, and I was little when he passed away. But fragments of his life follow me. I am currently a senior in Communication Design at Washington University in St. Louis, and it brings a whole other level of meaning to my studies to know that my family has roots at the college I'm attending. Some of my professors knew Steve, and we have bonded over this. One of Uncle Steve's paintings hangs in my bedroom. It feels so calming to have one of his pieces there, as though he's watching my progress and sending encouragement my way. My career as an artist feels so much more important because I am carrying on a family legacy, and I feel it is my responsibility to carry on helping others with my art, as Steve did.
Teri Barthelmes, friend
How would I describe Steve? The overriding term that comes to mind is enthusiastic curiosity. Steve had a great drive for learning, exploring, creating, solving, and sharing. From discussions about chaos theory in Santa Fe to the science and art of kite making in Wisconsin to late night Chianti conversations about ART and THE MEANING OF LIFE in Italy. And Steve was always willing to share – his latest discovery, his latest project, his latest theory, and finally – all the times he shared with me what he loved most – Mary Anne. Thanks, Steve!
Doris Horning, friend
Steve was a handsome, strong, rugged man who was as huggable as a big teddy bear. The sparkle in his eyes and the warmth of his smile lit up a room. I had the honor of Steve visiting me in Los Angeles – a place that would typically not be his destination of choice except that he needed to come here to get required documents before his summer teaching art in Italy. It was his first time in Los Angeles and it was fun to show him Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, the canyons, and the beaches. He saw the beauty in everything – even the foliage on the freeway onramp! It was a real treat to go to the Getty Museum with him because I felt like I had my own personal docent who had deep knowledge and true appreciation of art. He made it such an exciting adventure. After all, he was an extremely gifted and prolific artist himself. I am blessed to have some prints of his etchings and a drawing in my home. Having lived in Santa Fe in the past, where I met Mary Anne and Steve, I cherish his work that depicts the beauty of the southwest. Steve left this world way to soon, but he did an admirable job of living a rich and full life and sharing the beauty of it with us all.
Elaine Arthur, friend
I met Steve at a holiday party in STL at Mares. There were lots of people, great holiday vibes and conversations. You could not help but notice that Mare had captured his heart and soul because his eyes light up when he looked at her. That may sound like something from a sappy movie but I witnessed it myself. On another holiday visit to STL we played a vocabulary game. Steve was very good at it and I think he may have won. He was fun and made everyone smile including the looser which may have been me.
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Karen Gremillion, friend of Mary Anne
I did not know Steve well, but I know about him. He was the sweet husband of my friend Mary Anne and the love of her life. He was an excellent teacher, kind to animals, especially his Hunny (what a great dog!). And he loved nature. And of course he was a prolific and talented artist. When he left this world, he left pieces of himself here with us. His creations hang on the walls in many of our homes. He is remembered with affection and was gone too soon.
Becky Haas, friend
We met Steve through my dear friend Mary Anne. Through the years they would stay with us when their jobs brought them to Minneapolis and we would stay with them in Santa Fe. I was always impressed with Steve’s absolute passion and dedication to his wife and his art. My husband John and I are fortunate to own examples of his work. We are reminded daily of his immense talent and the landscapes he loved. He is missed.
Juliana Kitzelman, wife of Steve’s nephew and friend
“Uncle Steve” was one of those beautiful souls that once you meet, you’ll never forget. I had just moved to the US from Brazil, in 1997, and was still learning English, when I first met Uncle Steve and MaryAnne. They were so welcoming, kind, understanding and helpful!
I’ll never forget, Uncle Steve had a side bag, with a notebook and a pencil in it, that he’d bring everywhere with him. He would draw at any opportunity he had!
One of our family’s favorite memories of him was a Christmas Day, spent at our house, with Uncle Steve drawing and painting with our girls, who were then still pretty young, while Derek made some home made cookies! They drew and painted all afternoon. It’s a day they still remember...and a memory that still warms our hearts!
Chris Cummins, friend
Through a mutual friend, we were introduced to Steve when he went on a camping trip with us into the Yukon. We would see Steve at breakfast and dinner. The rest of the time he spent painting or sketching in various locations away from everyone. I spent much of the time hiking or fishing, so every once in a while I would spot him along a shoreline or in the woods someplace. The mosquitos were fierce on this trip so Steve kept his head covered with a bandana but also used a bug zapper racket to keep the insects at bay. It was funny watching him paint or sketch with one had while fanning the air with his racket! Steve was incredibly prolific producing many sketches or painting every day. We spent time at half a dozen spots so he always had fresh material. We still have a painting and sketch hanging in our house to remind us of our time together and great adventure. I like to think Steve is in a remote corner in the afterlife painting the angels.
Karen Cummins, friend
Many moons ago when we were still living in Juneau, AK., a very good and long time friend, Steve Langhorst, asked if he could bring a friend of his with him for a summer vacation. Of course we said yes!! There were six of us who went to various places in Canada - camping and fishing and ..Steve painted. We were all just sooo happy to meet this wonderful man. I took lots of pictures of all our adventures from loading onto the ferry to travel out of Juneau, all our campsites, adventures, and just hanging out. We were humbled by him giving us a painting of one of our scenery shots that we having hanging on our wall to this day, living in Missouri. I will never forget him trying to paint with all the mosquitoes around and some landed on the wet paint! He would have something around his head - like a shirt - to protect him from these annoying little creatures. However, that did not deter him from doing what he loved. He even had his "studio" set up in one of the shelters. When he passed, we had the idea of creating this book filled with nothing but our trip up into Canada that we gave to Steve L to present to Mary Anne. We were thrilled to know she loved it. Steve...you will always be with us!!! We Love You!
Nanette Tarbouni, friend
Steve had such a love of life...he loved to laugh and he loved Mary Anne. His art remains a lasting legacy to his talent and his love of nature. He brought joy wherever he was. You couldn’t be in a bad mood when you were around Steve. He lived...fully. I am so grateful that I knew him and that I have a piece of his artwork.
Carrie Madigan, niece
When I think about Uncle Steve, one word comes to my mind… “Hi.” And it's not just the word.....it's the way my Aunt Mary Anne said it when Uncle Steve would call. Growing up, I knew Aunt Mary Anne and Uncle Steve didn't necessary always live in the same town, as they sometimes worked in separate schools. Whenever I would see Aunt Mary Anne, she was often traveling alone. So many times, Uncle Steve would call our house when she was staying with us. The way Aunt Mary Anne said hi to him on the phone was always so sweet. It wasn't just a normal "hi". It was the kind of "hi" you said to someone who you were so excited and grateful to talk to. It was the way I always wanted someone to say hi to me. It was the way you say hi to someone you deeply loved. The love that Aunt Mary Anne and Uncle Steve shared was the kind of love I always hoped to find one day.
Susan Zinanti, friend
Oh, how large Steve still lives in my memory! His warm face, with an impish look that seemed he always had a fun surprise waiting just underneath, his welcoming and genuine smile, his messenger bag with art supplies at the ready, his creative spirit ready to make something with you. I remember Steve and MaryAnne teaching me how to make linoleum cut prints in the little John Sloan studio house and how to marble paper and hand bind a book at our little class at St. John's. I remember Steve having the time of his life making tiny balsa wood and tissue paper kites fly the the air currents of the ceiling fans in the little Albuquerque apartment. Every time, I too wanted to spend my days making linocuts, sewing books and making tiny colorful kites, just for the fun of it. Steve was a wonderful soul and still is quite alive in my mind - an inspiration still!
Jo Ellen Jones, sister-in-law
Steve was a very kind soul and was good to my sister, Mary Anne.
Susan Fitzsimmons, sister-in-law
Steve made the Ozarks and Missouri visually interesting
Finding beauty in the ordinary
Rachelle Luna, mother of a student
Steve was our daughter Leigh’s art teacher at Bosque school. He was such a positive influence on her. He was tough and demanded a lot from his students but I know in my heart that Leigh would not have excelled in art school and would not be the artist she is today without him. I am so grateful to Steve for encouraging Leigh to pursue her art passion. He guided her in developing her art portfolio and worked with her to determine which art schools to apply to.
As a senior in high school, Leigh was devastated when she found out that Steve was dying. What a beautiful gift he gave his students when he allowed them to visit him in the hospital shortly before his death. Getting to see him and talk to him helped Leigh deal with all the emotions she was experiencing at that time.
A special gift that was given to Leigh through Mary Ann was one of Steve’s paintbrushes. It has a special place in her studio. Leigh was also the recipient of a wonderful monetary gift given by Mary Ann through an art show held at Bosque School celebrating Steve’s life. Those funds helped equip her with art supplies during her time at MCAD.
I will forever be grateful to Steve for his commitment to his students and especially to our daughter. I love to imagine that Steve is looking down on Leigh with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye and is proud of the artist she has become and is becoming.
Janet Darms, friend
We often lived in different cities and at times even different countries. I always loved Steve's sense of adventure and how he actually lived out many of his desires through his many travel experiences. Steve was always kind and generous to me and my kids during the times when we got together during his IMSA years outside of Chicago. He even agreed to our dog visiting and spending the night. Steve was extremely gifted and talented artist who shared his gifts well. His life was way too short but in many ways he is still here continuing to share his talents. I remember you fondly, Steve. You are well loved and respected.
Rosemary Beck, cousin-in-law
I think I only met Steve once. However I have a beautiful artist rendition of the home of my grandparents. That picture brings back so many childhood memories for me. So every time I walk by it, Steve makes me smile.
Kim Browner, high school friend
I have many memories of Steve...one in particular is that I can picture Steve on the school bus entertaining everyone with his acapella rendition of Alice's Restaurant...and I will never forget the Mercury station wagon…
Lucy Cloyes, friend
I loved the way Steve was continually engaged in his art. Whenever I was visiting Mary Anne, Steve had several projects that he was working on. He loved to paint, create waterfalls, build small scale adobe buildings, build and fly kites, create a new alphabet with dreamy characters, plant gardens and be close to nature.. He loved tinkering with electronics and always had a project or three projects. He had a speaker hooked up to the bedroom, so he and Mary Anne could listen to the birds singing. He hung up a rotating crystal so rainbows were reflected around the walls of the living room. His paintings were of the trees and rock formations in areas he explored. He loved the outdoors. He drew everything that absorbed his attention. He painted the adobe home he shared with Mary Anne in Santa Fe.
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Cynthia Crum, colleague of Mary Anne
Steve had such a joy for life — an intense curiosity, an openness, an eagerness to engage and learn — it was absolutely contagious. Similarly, his smile and his laugh brightened a room. Steve and Mary Anne adored each other; the joy at their wedding was palpable and continued until Steve passed. They would head out to go camping and painting. His canvases were limited in size by the boat. Mary Anne was in charge of rowing but has a deathly fear of snakes. She would freeze when she saw one. And, until the snake was gone, they’d be stuck on the river. Theirs was a home filled with light and love. I’ve lived in six homes since I left Wash.U. What comes with me each time? Two of Steve’s paintings that I treasure.
Ann Dunbar, fellow art teacher
Steve is in my heart always. What a wonderfully creative person. Kind, helpful, thoughtful, giving, caring, sharing, smart. A mentor who had a quiet strength. He was an amazing artist, a lover of nature. He walked quietly on the earth. A real gift to me in my life. I miss him, but so glad I knew him! Soar with the angels, Steve!
Alex Jones, nephew
Steve has the most infectious laugh. I will always remember visiting Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary Anne in Chicago and watching Ace Ventura When Nature Calls. Uncle Steve made watching the movie so much more entertaining and enjoyable because his loud boisterous laugh would bellow through the room with any semi comical moment making it seem like the funniest movie in the world. He truly was a bright light and continues to be for all those that remember him.
Judy Cobillas, friend
I met Steve at Forest Park Community College around 1978. My good friend (his wife Mary Anne) and I, watched him one evening during a drawing class as he carried a sketch book and was wearing two different shoes with two different socks. That was the beginning of a life long friendship. I knew Steve as a friend, an uncle, a son, a husband and an incredible artist. He could be hysterically funny. He could also be incredibly insightful and intense when it came to art. I knew him as a friend, but my great admiration for him was as an artist and teacher. He was one of the best teachers I have known and the most prolific master of drawing that I have ever encountered. This time of year is always so bittersweet. How could it be ten years already? I still hear his laugh. I can hear him singing Hank William songs while he is driving his truck with Hunny in the passenger's seat. I remember late night printing sessions with New Mexico storms overhead. I remember sweet blue eyes glazed over a piece of coconut cream pie from the "Flying Star". He is and always will be a part of my life and my best memories.
Kelly King, niece
I always remember his laugh and he was kind. I remember his painting that hung in grandma’s living room for years.
Joan Sale,
friend of Mary Anne for over 55 years
When I think of Steve, I think of a "gentle" friendly man with a smile that you don't forget. I remember visiting Steve and Mare in Illinois at their farmhouse. Steve was out working in this beautiful garden that he had planted and tended with love and hard work. I remember his great love of nature and the outdoors. He was so amazingly creative and talented and had such passion for sharing nature in his paintings. While I was visiting in his farmhouse, I witnessed his inventions that he had built in their sweet home. I always admired that Steve was not afraid of solitude as he would often travel rivers in his canoe alone (and often with his wife and best friend, Mare). I remember Steve's kindness, caring and his humility. He loved Honey and Honey was always by his side. He so loved and cared for his art students. Having Steve as their art teacher is a memory I'm sure they hold in their hearts. He truly cared about each one of them individually. Of all of my memories of Steve, the one that I carry in my heart is the way he looked at Mare. He loved and adored Mare. There was never a doubt that his marriage to her was the greatest joy of his life. Steve, I miss you.... the world misses you.
Stacey Philipps, friend and colleague of Mary Anne
Steve and Mary Anne offered a beautiful and inspiring glimpse of an artistic life to me and my then-boyfriend, now-husband Ben, and we shared a lot of good food, laughter, and art-making (printing press!) in their adobe casita. Being newly out of college and barely out of our poor-student phase, Ben and I could only admire Steve's gorgeous, intense, color- and movement-saturated, large-scale paintings, which seemed like such vivid and honest reflections of Steve's soul. It was a happy day when we managed to scrape together what was then the extravagant amount of $100 to purchase one of his small watercolors of the Sandia mountains. We were so pleased! The painting has been with us ever since, even as we moved around the country, and it still hangs upstairs in our Portland, Oregon, home, where we see it every day. It reminds me of good friends, beautiful countryside, and a life thoroughly examined, explored, and lived.
Deborah McGrath, friend
I became friends with Steve because MaryAnne is my dear friend . MaryAnne and I worked together at IMSA
( the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy) from 1994-1997. I thought then and I continue to think now, they were the most creative, loving, fun loving, supportive couple I have known in my life. When Steve got a job at IMSA , I saw what an incredible artist and teacher he was . The 3 of us decided to sponsor a wilderness hiking and camping Intersession for students and we went to a beautiful area called Claret Creek in Tennessee . Before we went , Steve held a journal making workshop and the students learned how to make the paper and bind their books so they would have their own personal creations to document their adventures. We all loved Steve’s style of gentle teaching. He made even the non artists like myself feel confident and inspired. During our week together, Steve was always sketching and that’s how I remember him . It was like he had to draw , like the rest of us have to breathe. I have so many memories of Steve’s impact on me as a person, it is very difficult not to turn this entry into a book!
He was a big guy with a big heart and a hearty laugh that was contagious. Even at the end of his life , after his brain surgery, his sense of humor kept his friends and the medical staff entertained. I saw him a few days after his surgery and I admit I was a little scared to see him. I walked into his hospital room and saw that he had this big incision on his bald head . He greeted me with “ guess what I’m going to be for Halloween? A baseball!”
I am so fortunate to have known him and I know his loving spirit lives on in his many adoring students and family and friends and especially in the love of his life -MaryAnne .
I am honored to have two paintings of Steve’s that are night scenes and are some of the last paintings he did before he died . I cherish them.
Jennifer Yonak, niece
My fondest memory of Uncle Steve was when he & Aunt MaryAnne took me to the Tivoli to see the Animation Festival. I don't think I had ever or have since laughed so hard in my life! That was in April, 1985, I believe. We all agreed that The Big Snit was the best animated film of the festival. Not only did we laugh - and Steve's laugh made us laugh harder - while watching the film, we laughed in Steve's truck after we left, and we laughed any time The Big Snit was mentioned. "You're always shaking your eyes!" Uncle Steve was always making me laugh!