08/23/2026
Six months ago already. 🥹🪽🌌 Steph was a bright light in so many of our lives. I miss her adorable face, her sweet smile, her wonderful laugh, her humor, her strength, her friendship, and her delicious cooking.
We were blessed with all the time we had with her. We got to see her an average of 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 3 years. That's around 156 total weeks we got to spend with her. We will always wish we could have had more moments, more talks, more celebrations, more laughs, more time.The selfish part of me wants her back here with all of us, but the spiritual part of me knows she is somewhere much better than this. I will never stop missing her. They say friends are the family you choose, and she was family to so many of us.
One of our favorite things about our time with Steph was seeing her grow in confidence, assertiveness, and decision-making. When we started out, she seemed a bit timid at times and was more comfortable working in the kitchen. We encouraged her to be behind the bar more, and it wasn't long before she preferred it. She not only excelled at customer service... by nature she made people feel seen, heard, loved, and appreciated. She lit up the room with her bright light, humor, and love.
Stephanie was off on Sundays but she was always willing to come in if we were having a special event or expected a bigger crowd like for a fundraiser, party, football game, or whatever it may be. She would offer to help, and I remember telling her, "I don't want to take up one of your days off because you work so hard already." She would insist and say, "I really don't mind. I'll be there."
Steph was our main shopper, and after her transportation issues began she was still trying to go and get the shopping done by borrowing cars, getting rides, etc. It took her awhile to finally accept my offer to do the shopping. She was so patient with me. Every week for months I'd call her and make sure I was picking out the right thing at the right place in the right amounts. I said, "I'm sorry to bug you again. I promise I'll get better at this." She laughed and said it was okay.
Steph was such a patient, kind, loving, soft-hearted, and optimistic person.
Having her in my life gave me hope. In a world that is less than peaceful, pleasant, or kind these days, Steph made me believe more in the goodness of people.
Although our hearts still ache with loss, we still love to think about her and talk about her, as many of you still also do. Because of the love so many of us have for her, she will live on. Never forgotten... always loved. Thank you. 💝
