He was the second child of five, born in Victoria, BC to the late Charles and Agnes Steffler.
Steve is survived by Glenda, his wife of 39 years, daughter Amaris, son-in-law Robert, and his two grandsons Hunter and Ethan. He also leaves behind his surviving brother Don, sisters Kim and Cheryl, his brother-in-law Cam, as well as 10 nieces and nephews and their many children. He is predeceased by his older brother Russell.
Steve lived in Victoria all his life except for a brief stint in Moose Jaw where he and Russell welcomed baby-sister Kim before the family returned to the much warmer climate of lower Vancouver Island.
He attended Oaklands and Ruth King Elementary Schools in what are now The Western Communities, graduating from the old Belmont Secondary School in 1969.
He was an active member of the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) and an active member of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish and later St. Joseph the Worker Parish.
Steve lived for art, music and humour. He dedicated himself to capturing those special moments in life as well as the personalities of those around him, immortalizing them in paintings, interviews and photos.
He wrote short stories for the Times Colonist, studied sign painting at BCIT, worked as a TA at Glen Lake School, and was an HCW at Glendale Lodge, before venturing into the world of self-employment under the business name of 'Creative Works'. He started painting commissioned works, taking study photos to work from and reference. When some clients also wanted to purchase the resultant photographs, he soon discovered a passion for the art form and soon 'Photography' was added to the business name. He blended his painter's-eye with the new medium and not only succeeded in capturing the moment but enjoyed making it into a piece of art that could hang on anyone’s wall.
Over the course of his career, he photographed and interviewed Bruce Dern and Phyllis Diller for TV Week. He invited David to join our family in our “home share” model that lasted 35 years. All while continuing to photograph performers, theatre groups, and models, he did portraiture for couples, families, 1st communion, and fantasy cosplay. He also specialized in larger scale event-shoots such as weddings, family reunions and commercial projects. The early 90s opened the door to digital art and a passion for rescuing and resurrecting valued but damaged photos, preserving them for generations to come.
After marrying in 1984, he and Glenda enjoyed adventures on the Lower Mainland and the B.C. Interior, Ontario, the Oregon Coast, Vegas, Seattle and Birch Bay.
Steve enjoyed watching, first his daughter and later his grandsons explore their own talents, growing and developing into the promise of their futures. To that end, he spared no expense when finding tools and opportunities in order to provide the foundation for future expression, invention and success.
In this last year, Steve pulled out his guitar to refresh his music memory with the aid of Richard at Tempo Trend. He developed an interest in gardening and helped bring many new flowers to the garden he refreshed and built upon for Glenda with the help of Shawna. He enjoyed long music-filled drives with Wally to meet up with old friends and with Maggie and Shawna to explore and find wild and farm animals to feed and pet. He noticed every dog, cat and child to cross his path and found joy in watching them explore and experience life in the moment. His life-long appreciation of wildlife, and in particular birds, led to him cultivating a relationship with flocks of many types of wild birds along with the local squirrel population. He spent many hours feeding and developing trust with the wildlife that visited his yard. With his passing his most frequent wild friends are already losing weight and miss his presence and care.
During his final stay at VGH 6 North, he did a lot of walking and enjoyed friendly contact with other patients while he 'supervised' or tried to help the staff on his 'rounds'. We thank the nurses, care aids and other staff on 6 North that supported him with gentle understanding care in his final days.
A Celebration of Life will be held Oct 23, 2023 at
Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion, 1070 Tillicum Rd, Victoria.
Doors open at 1:30 pm.
Prayers at 2 pm followed by time to visit, share stories and jokes, remember and look at pictures, and enjoy the park.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Steve’s memory can be made to the charity of your choice.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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