Stephen Babiscko

Steve was born in Bayonne, NJ and was the youngest of 12 children of George and Julia. His mom died when he was young and his older sisters made sure he was spoiled as a young boy. Steven proudly served in the United States Navy for many years, and was always happy to say he was a proud American! After his time in the service, Steve chose to further serve his country by becoming a police officer with the Port Authority of NY. He married Arlene (Concord) on April 27, 1957, and they have stay devoted to each other ever since. In 1959, a son Kevin arrived. They all moved to Florida in the 1970’s. Steve’s family grew larger when Kevin married Diane (Kadel) and they soon gave him 2 wonderful granddaughters: Kristin, now 23 and Catelyn, 18, and he was thrilled to watch them grow into lovely young ladies. Steve was very proud to recently attend Catelyn’s high school graduation and happy to know she was entering her first year of college.

Steve was a trivia buff and would challenge anyone he met about little known facts of old movies and baseball statistics. When not engaged in trivia he often told one of his “corny” jokes, and was often the loudest one laughing in the room at the end!

In the last few years Steve discovered the beautiful and serene mountains of North Carolina. He and Arlene often spent time in their condo on Beech Mountain and Steve spent as much time as possible on his back porch taking in his magnificent views. He was always amazed each time as if it was his first time there! They both enjoyed traveling there and sipping on some of their favorite wines, while taking in the variety of the seasons.

He loved sports, especially the Miami Dolphins and the NY Mets – but at times their status forced him into a love-hate relationship that never lasted too long! He also loved youth hockey and was one of the biggest fans of the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, the S. FL Golden Wolves and most recently the Knights of UCF. This was in part due to his favorite player – currently #14 of the Knights! He loved to travel to watch hockey games, tournaments, and championships – and was often the proudest one there!

He loved to decorate for each Holiday right to the very last ornament on the Christmas tree. He had a special green thumb most of the time and was truly was proud of all his yard work, including his many flowers, trees and plants.

He loved his “adopted” Florida families – the Salicco’s, the Thackeray’s, and the Craig’s (Thume’s). He felt thrilled to be a part of any and all holiday and family celebrations over the years! By association he soon began to love foods he never thought existed, even from a hibachi at a Japanese restaurant!

Steve will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by all who had the chance to get to know him!