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.

There are other memories I cherish. One was when I ran into Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary Anne at the Tivoli movie theater in St. Louis. My boyfriend and I were walking in to see "Oh Brother, where art though?" and they were walking out just having seen the movie. Uncle Steve had on overalls and started doing a jig while they both talked about what a great movie it was. And as they walked out, I noticed something.....they were holding hands. It was so sweet.

Another one was at a party at our parents house while I was growing up. It was one of those great holidays where we had both Aunt Mary Anne and Uncle Steve there to celebrate. Since these didn't happen often, it was always a special treat and made those holiday parties stand out. There was music playing and Aunt Mary Anne and Uncle Steve got up to dance. Uncle Steve decided to pretend he was a frog and started hopping over to Aunt Mary Anne. Aunt Mary Anne bent down and gave him a kiss and he stood up pretending to be human again. It was so innocent, yet so funny.

A third memory is the scene of Uncle Steve that will forever stay in my mind. We were on a family vacation at Trout Lodge. One of our activities was to take a water color painting class. Uncle Steve set up a spot on a hill while the rest of us sat at a bench with the activity leader. As we made random strokes with our paint brushes to create a scenic view (which turned more into blobs......Bobby Brown literally made a swamp monster on his), Uncle Steve could be seen making a beautiful painting of a tree stump. I can still picture it in my head. I only wish I could have painted it like he did.

To this day, I wish I could have taken a trip with my aunt and uncle to hike, camp, and explore New Mexico. I am envious of my siblings who were fortunate enough to have this experience. I have Uncle Steve's artwork in my house and only hope I can hang more pieces. They are beautiful and I love to see them every day.