HONORING STEVE WILSON

June 27, 2004

In Steve's honor, dear friends Linda and Bill Foster (serving food in the above picture) made his favorite meal, one that Steve made himself many times for everyone. They served it after our arrival, on their deck at their beautiful home in Skokie, the evening before the ceremony. Barbeque ribs, corn on the cob, and baked beans. Linda and Bill and their family have been close to the Wilson family for years, and shared many adventures with Steve. Steve's wife, Georgie, on the left, looked beautiful and was nourished by the love of many friends.

Everyone was delighted to be with Steve and Georgie's oldest daughter Elizabeth again, who just got back from her year in Israel.

This group of young people are great friends. On the left is Diana, Steve's youngest daughter, who will be coming to California next term to attend the University of Redlands, where our good friend Rachel Foster (second from left) goes to school. We will be delighted to be their 'west coast family'!

After a beautiful and moving ceremony at the Memorial Park Cemetery, Steve's three children took over for him. Elizabeth bravely read her dad's "favorite limerick." We will not repeat it here. You can contact Elizabeth.

Diana told his favorite story of her childhood, the one about how she got stuck going down the laundry chute.

And Richie told the story of how his dad walked through a (closed) screen door

Dad would have been proud.

The family chose favorite photos to share some favorite moments in Steve's life, and arranged them on two poster boards at the delicious family lunch at Va Pensiero that followed. Here are some glimpses of those photos, followed by the rest of the family and freinds who gathered on this special day.

Steve would be happy to see so many of his favorite people gathered in one room.

Cousins Linda (left) and Alan Nidetz have been great friends to Georgie during this last year, and live nearby.

Second from right is Tino Calvetti, Steve's "stand partner" and fellow bassist in the
Chicago Lyric Opera

On the footstone are represented the bass Steve played, and the pianos he tuned. From this, in years to come, people will be able to know a little of who he was.
Before the ceremony, Georgie had gathered stones from the beach and each person present chose one from her basket and placed it at the base of the beautiful gravestone. This gave us a tangible way of leaving our love with him at the gravesite, before we sadly said goodbye.

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