Eulogy for Steven
 
We are, all of us unique but some of us (Steven) are more unique than others.
 
A very private individual who was content with his own company, Steven has been described by some as ‘socially awkward’; often not very forthcoming, he could be difficult to get on with at times. But 5 things are not in doubt –
 
that his favourite 2 things in life were photography and birds;
and when those 2 coincided he was undoubtedly in his happy place;
that he was exceptionally talented;
that he has left a wide ranging and vast legacy and;
that despite his gift, his eye, his dedication and the catalogue of breathtakingly brilliant photographs he has left, he was very humble. His huge humility will mean that some people who knew him would’ve had absolutely no idea just how incredibly gifted he was.
 
Born on Monday 6 June 1966 to Dorothy and Peter, in time Steven became a big brother to Alison. Although he was born in Manchester, in 1970 he moved down to Reading when his dad got a job at Woodley. The family settled down to life in the South at their home at 55 Lakeside – the only home Steven knew throughout his life.
 
Schooled locally, Steven was a quiet lad who “just got on with it”. His favourite subjects were Science and Technology and when he finished school, he continued his education with a place at Stafford University on the Electrical Engineering and Computing course. But Uni and the course weren’t for him and after 2 years he left and returned home, where he worked with his dad for about 6 months, programming and servicing for his electronics company.
 
Thereafter Steve was on the payroll of Raydine, a company which made X-Ray machines. After being made redundant, he got himself a job as a driver delivering supplies for a Chinese Restaurant chain. It was whilst driving, that he had an accident and his struggles with alcohol came to the fore. The year was 2006; he never drank again. Steven spent a long period in hospital receiving treatment for problems with his liver and then spent a number of years physically recuperating and used walking to rebuild his strength. It was during this period of convalescence that he rediscovered his love for photography. He’d shown interest as a teenager and used to develop his own photos in the loft but after his accident, Steven found the real depth of his love for photography and went on a number of courses.
Birds were his number 1 love and Steven was a staunch member of the RSPB; he also did work on their website. He belonged to a number of local photographic societies and was an active member of both The Reading Camera Club and the Wokingham & Bracknell branch of The Royal Photographic Society. Unsurprisingly his huge talent  won him a number of awards and his photographs have been displayed at The Royal Berks Hospital amongst other places.
 
In search of suitable subjects, Steven travelled widely with a range of themes; he would always head off to Richmond Park for the rutting season and London on New Year's Eve was another regular outing. He also attended a number of Red Bull Flugtag meetings – which for those of you who don’t know (and I didn’t) it’s an event in which competitors attempt to fly home-made, human-powered flying machines off a pier into the sea or river. He enjoyed a number of trips to Bridlington, (he loved the East Coast of Yorkshire) and applied successfully to spend a few nights based in a shepherd’s hut on an uninhabited island. As recently as June, Steven went on a walking holiday in Austria (walking not skiing – though he adored skiing too).
 
As humble as Steven was - and he was… there was no ego there whatsoever, Steven was also hugely self-critical and would often delete amazing pictures because they didn't satisfy his high standards. He was someone who, even at family get togethers would busy himself paparazzi style - quietly doing his own thing, taking pictures of everyone, later forwarding the files. Not all of them were of his nephew, Philip – but there were perhaps more of him than anyone else. A man who was always behind the camera, I know it’s been a real struggle to find any pictures of Steven himself for today – that said, of the 5 which have been found 2 are real corkers – all of them show Steven in his element.
 
Workwise, Steven got his forklift licence and worked for Tesco's and WH Smith's before, in 2018, getting a job with Argos. Working night shifts in their warehouse allowed him to indulge his real passion – birds and the dawn chorus. A well-known and very familiar face at Dinton Pastures, Steven often led walks, introducing those prepared to brave the dark mornings to the joy of birdlife of our doorsteps.  
 
He continued to live at home with his parents until in 2020, they moved out to be closer to Alison and to allow Steven to continue working without contravening Covid guidelines. Prior to that Steven thoroughly enjoyed the company of little Ollie, his sister’s Beagle puppy who kept him company when he visited; visits Ollie would’ve enjoyed, featuring as they obviously did, a number of treats.
 
Steven is survived by his mum Dorothy, who is herself not well enough to be here today; by his dad, Peter, his sister, Alison, brother-in-law Steve and his nieces and nephews, Matthew, Philip, Lacey and Shelley and by a number of good friends – you all know who you are. I know that some of you will not have known just how poorly Steven was and his passing will have come as a real shock but as I said at the outset, he was very private and didn't tell anyone just how unwell he was.
 
There is a lot more I could say about Steven - like all of us, he had his idiosyncrasies – it is those, of course, which make us human – and individual – and Steven was no exception. We all of us have multiple stories and different ways in which we interact with the world; we’re multi-layered and complicated and you will all have your own memories of Steven, which perhaps haven’t been mentioned but which are nonetheless important to you. It is of course impossible to sum up a life, a person, in the short time we have here. But in truth, his photos are his legacy and they will endure – they will remain in perpetuity.
 
In a few moments, it will be time to say our final farewell to Steven. As we prepare to do so we are going to pause for a few moments to be alone with our own thoughts; it’s a space in our service where we can each recall our personal and treasured memories of him and a pause before we say goodbye.
 
Steven’s music tastes were varied. As a teenager he played the piano and could rattle off a very decent rendition of Scott Joplin’s ‘The Entertainer’ and he went with his dad to Live Aid but his vinyl collection evidences a love of metal and rock - Motorhead, Hawkwind, ACDC and Meatloaf. And the band who we will now listen to … Queen; with the track which Freddie Mercury wrote when he knew he was dying - These Are The Days Of Our Lives…