Steve G Erspamer

Our family received quite a Christmas present in 1949 with the birth of Steve. We sisters loved him from the start and doted on him constantly. We had no idea what a wonderful, kind, successful man this little baby would become.

Steve had many cousins who shared in his early childhood escapades. Steve especially loved our cousin Janell. They were the best of friends and truly loved one another, even to this day. Steve called her his “honey bee”. She was like a fifth sister.

Even as a child, Steve knew how to have fun. He always was ready for an adventure, like the time he, Max (a family friend) and Laurie decided to practice their campfire building skills at Max’s home in Jefferson, TX. They built several campfires scattered around the property and fortunately were able to remember all the locations when the fire department arrived. Then there was the time when Steve was about 11 or 12 years old and decided he would use our parents’ absence as an opportunity to learn how to back the car out of the driveway. He didn’t get too far, maybe 8 feet, when the car hit a tree stump, leaving a noticeable dent in the rear side of the car. Steve didn’t drive again for years.

Steve’s ability to pull off a prank was unsurpassed. One time he called a friend and invited her to a costume party, asking her to meet him there. She showed up dressed for the party, only to find herself the only person in costume. Prank accomplished!

In 1970 Steve took a year off from his studies at UTA to travel throughout Europe with his good friend Darwin Folmar. When he returned at the end of 9 months, Steve had transformed into a more mature version of himself. Our mother wasn’t in love with his long hair and beard, but she adjusted.

Steve graduated from UTA with a degree in English and taught at several D/FW area schools.

In 1978 he and his friend Darwin set off on another adventure and started Delivery Ltd. They had a “milk truck” for deliveries and Steve’s apartment for a warehouse. Darwin later decided to pursue other interests, so Steve carried on alone with the idea of Delivery Ltd. Over the years he built it into an exclusive relocation company in Dallas. During these years, Steve travelled to many wonderful places, two of his favorites being New York and Santa Fe. Steve was very dedicated to the Meals on Wheels program in Dallas. He scheduled a truck to deliver meals every Friday. Delivery Ltd. was named the “Outstanding Volunteer” by the Atlantic Richfield Corporation and was named the “Corporate Award Winner” for Dallas county by the United Way and the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA). The company also received the “Governor’s Award Nomination” for its continued commitment to the VNA. Steve continued his work with Meals on Wheels for 20+ years.

In 2004, at the age of 53, Steve sold Delivery Ltd. and retired to the hill country. He enjoyed having season tickets to the Lady Longhorns basketball games, The UT Volleyball games and the UT baseball games.

Steve was a multi-talented man. He had a flare for decorating and could make any room look lovely. He was also an extremely good cook—more like a chef—as anyone who enjoyed one of his meals can attest. Laurie and Mike recently found a fully prepped meatloaf in his freezer, which they cooked and enjoyed.

But perhaps Steve’s greatest asset was his ability to connect with people, make them feel at ease, and treat them kindly. Steve had friends in all walks of life—the wealthy, the poor, the educated, the less educated, all races, all religions. While living in an apartment in downtown Austin, he befriended a homeless woman. He talked about her often and seemed truly to enjoy her company. Steve’s friend John McDowell perhaps summed up Steve best:

“He was a rare combination of great intelligence, wicked sense of humor

and kind soul.”

We can’t speak of Steve without remembering his wonderful Irish setters and brown and white setter: Ellie, Savannah and Sophie. He loved these “family members” dearly and gave each of them a wonderful home. His sweet Sophie was with him when he left us and stayed by his side.

Steve had a great ability to express himself in the written word. After our Dad’s death in 1987, he wrote a beautiful letter to our Mother and us four sisters. This is a quote from that letter:

“Yet like with an antique clock, so beautifully synchronized, the works

wear out. It came to Daddy, as it will come to us all.”

Goodbye, dearest Steve.