He didn’t believe in doing things by halves, my brother, and so this seems like a fitting setting for today. I’m sure he’s looking down with pride at us all and saying to himself “Now that, that’s what you call a proper church”

I’ve written in the Order of Service about Steve’s life history, so today I want to talk about the many aspects of the man we knew, the many things he packed into his life and the many happy memories that he has left us.

Let’s talk about his passions, first.

Steve had many hobbies and interests and he often complained to me that work kept getting in the way of them. And when he did something, well, he went all in. He studied it fully and immersed himself in the subject. 

And, of course, he bought all the gear. Steve did like a bit of kit. Not for him the ‘starter pack’, no, Steve had to have the full rig. I remember when he took up fishing and I honestly didn’t know you could get that many different types of float.

Steve was always a keen fisherman, from when Dad took us both as children to teaching his grandchildren on holidays in Norfolk. He loved being out in the countryside and being in nature seemed to relax him like nothing else. Later on, this developed into an interest in birdwatching and he and Linda visited many RSPB sites together.

Steve didn’t just enjoy catching fish, he also liked to keep them, in his usual manner. I think it’s fair to say that Steve’s idea of a pond was what most of us would call a small lake. And Steve’s fish were not just just plentiful, they were, of course, enormous.

Steve was outgoing and sociable and loved being with people, so he belonged to many different groups, the fishing club, the pool team, Round Table, 41 Club, the Masons, the Cavaliers lunch club, Channels golf club, the ‘Hammers’ crowd … not all at the same time, I hasten to add!

Of course, Steve didn’t just belong, he got involved. He helped out, he took on duties and, quite often, he took over! In 41 Club, Table and St Cedd’s Lodge, he rose to the top slot but he also took on other roles, informal and otherwise. 

Who will forget his time running the fireworks displays, which got bigger and more ambitious each year? Well, not his neighbours, as Steve always has a couple of fireworks ‘left over’ that he would let off in the garden. These too increased in size until he nearly blew the windows out!

Now, I have to tell you that many people have said to me that Steve was very meticulous, well-organised and conscientious. This was apparent in his work and also when he organised trips to France with his friends from 41 Club, including a trip to the war graves that was carried out with military precision, I am told. And when I cast my mind back to his school reports, I have to say these were words that appeared … absolutely NOWHERE! But then, he was skinny as a rake back then too, so we all change as get older.

Steve loved playing sport and games of all sorts, regularly playing football as a young man before moving to the more ‘social’ games of darts, pool, and snooker.  He was a member at Channels golf club for many years, although whether it was the regular round with his pals on a Monday that attracted him or the pint and a ‘Huffer’ in the 19 hole afterwards, I can’t be sure. 

Steve enjoyed his food and drink, and especially appreciated Linda’s cooking, being very partial to her roast potatoes. He himself was ‘King of the Barbeque’, needing little encouragement to indulge in his twin passions of pyromania and sausages. There are many pictures of Steve, wreathed in smoke, with a pint of Stella in his hand, cooking unfeasible amounts of meat for his family and friends.

Steve had a capacity for making an event of any activity. For example, when Steve and Terry got their West Ham season tickets at the new stadium, Terry thought they would just go and watch the games. However, Steve added a pre-match drink at the Earl of Wakfield, and then one afterwards to ‘let the traffic die down’. Then he found the pie & mash shop for a pre-match meal, and as the journey home was rather long, a stop at The Woodman’s was required. With Steve,  ‘Going to see the game’ grew to be a day-long excursion.

Of course, Steve was a life-long Hammer, starting from those three golden years of the 60s when West Ham won the FA Cup, the European Cup-Winners Cup and the World Cup, as he liked to tell people. We’d go to matches together when he had a spare ticket and it was always a pleasure to share our passion for the Hammers together , even if the same couldn’t always be said for the football. 

So now we come to Steve’s love of cars and driving. He got his first car on his 17th birthday, an Orange and White Mini that spent as much time off the road as on it I was frequently co-opted as ‘mechanics mate’, passing spanners, pumping brakes pedals and providing moral support.

Steve had several more cars, most of which needed some mechanical intervention. Even when he finally got a ‘decent’ car, a white Rover 3.5 saloon, he managed to forget to put the handbrake on and found it had gone and climbed a lamppost, requiring another repair job.

So, you can understand Steve’s delight when he got his first company car and put all those concerns firmly behind him. He worked his way up from a Ford Cortina to a very nice BMW before he had to but his own car again, when he got a solid and substantial Jaguar, which seemed to suit him perfectly.

Now the car was sorted, Steve had time for his mid-life crisis and bought a motorbike, a suitably large Honda V4. He loved his bike and especially the Sunday morning trips to Burnham with John Spence and his driver for a full English breakfast (what else?). Charlotte enjoyed going out with her Dad also but Linda was somehow able to resist the charms of the pillion seat.

When he had to give up the bike he quickly acquired his Saab convertible so he could still enjoy the open air motoring experience.

Steve always had the philosophy that he didn’t live for work, he worked so he could live and that meant holidays. He brought a caravan so he could take his young family away regularly and they had many weekend trips and holidays with the Tinkler family. It was, of course, an excuse to buy another vehicle and lots associated kit, and, yes, of course he upgraded it. 

Later on, Steve and Linda went on many holidays in France, Greece and Italy. They both loved the snorkelling amongst all the wonderful fish when they went to the Red Sea - Steve was in his element, obviously - and Linda tells me that the downhill toboggan basket ride in Madeira was a truly unforgettable experience. No doubt Steve achieved peak velocity on the descent!

So know I need to say something about the man I knew. Steve was my Big Brother, in all senses of the word. We use to joke that he was twice the man I am - literally - but he was a big presence in many other ways. I knew he was always looking out for me and he taught me how to do many things; how to read, how to play games and, most importantly, how to make the most of every moment.

We had some difficult times as a family, most obviously when we lost Mum at such a young age, and we were able to support each other through those challenges. Those times forged a deep connection and although, like any brothers, we didn’t agree on everything, we always knew we could rely on each other for when we needed help and support.

I also need to say a word about Steve, the husband and family man. He told me as soon as he met Linda that he’d found someone special and so it proved, as they joined together to make a truly great team. Together, they created a home and a family that Steve treasured above all else and that was the foundation upon which his life was built. 

So I hope you can see that Steve was a man of many facets and throughout his life he sparkled brightly in many different ways. You could say he was a bit of a diamond. 

I shall remember him as a generous and outgoing soul, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a quip at the ready. As well as his sense of fun, however, he had a sense of duty and propriety that he brought to his professional life and to the many roles he took on in his personal life. You could say he was solid. In every sense of the word.

When our dear old Dad passed away, he left us a letter in which he urged us to ‘live life to the full’. It seemed like rather unnecessary advice for Steve because, as your can see, he has done that from an early age. However, I feel sure he would echo that same advice to all of us; to Linda; to Emily and Charlotte; and especially to each and everyone of his beloved grandchildren.

So he would want us to be joyful for the good times we had together, and to give thanks that we had him in our lives.

Because although we shall miss him dreadfully, we will never forget him and will hold onto the happy memories we have.

And keep him in our hearts, forever.