Steven Michael Barbarito

Steven Michael Barbarito was born on October 6, 1997 at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. Sharing his birthday with his mom, and mom’s mom, Grandma Paulina, deeming the nickname S-T-3, 3 generations born on the same day. As a baby, he had the most perfect round, big head paired with a constant knot. He was absolutely fearless, and would climb, crawl, jump and rummage through whatever adventure to keep his curious mind occupied.

Steven is the beloved son of Tom Barbarito, Elena Tager and, stepdad, Seth Tager. He is survived by his best friend and only brother, Thomas (TJ) Barbarito, and stepbrother, Shane Tager. He is also survived by his grandmother, Paulina Lavarias, uncles and aunties and many cousins whom he was extremely close.

Steven attended Castlemont Elementary, Saint Lucy’s Catholic School, and graduated from Saint Francis High School as a Magna Cum Laude. He participated in baseball, hockey, basketball and soccer. He won several sportsmanship awards and received many accolades, including Scholar Athlete, Sal Chavez Sportsmanship Award and captain of his varsity soccer team at St. Francis. Steven was very intellectual. He read many books, and was knowledgeable about nearly any subject.

Facts about Steven, he was a contestant on live TV for American Ninja Warrior. He taught himself how to play the ukulele, he’s our only music talent in the family. On top of that, he loved to airbrush, doodle and draw in his studio and even had a podcast that he and some of his closest friends hosted, directed and produced. He also loved to sing….he may not have had the best voice but he didn’t care and sang to his heart’s content. He was known as the “Singing Bartender” at Khartoum’s where he worked and everyone looked forward to his performance…he was not shy! 🙂 He surfed, snowboarded, rock climbed. He was good at everything! He had over nine tattoos. And, every year for his bday, he would cash in his $30 coupon and get a Benihana Delight with Filet Mignon and Lobster plus double fried rice. His favorite meal. He loved food. Anyone watching him eat would be in awe on how he would be able to down a tomahawk steak, lobster and then ask,”what’s for dessert?”.

He truly loved his family. He would go to the ends of the world to make his loved ones smile. His dream job would have been to be a superhero. He had an absolute knack for helping others, even if he didn’t necessarily have the means to do so. He would make it happen, somehow, some way. He lived an “Island Lifestyle” attitude and would go with the flow. Hawaii, Maui, in particular, was his happy place. He just absolutely loved the beach and would make trips to Santa Cruz/Capitola any chance he got. He absolutely loved his family and they truly loved him! He would spend all night playing card games, board games or even working on jigsaw puzzles. Anything to spend quality time with his family, even as simple as playing with his nephews and niece (he regarded his cousin’s kids as his nephews and niece).

Steven was a friend to everyone and considered many of them as his family. He was very protective of his friends and they also were very protective of him. No matter what, he always had their backs and when he needed some extra support or was going through some difficult times, he knew he could always count on them and without hesitation, they were there for each other. He wanted to make sure people were included. He was the first one to bring out a game at the parties, and would stir up a conversation with just about anyone. That’s what made him an exceptional bartender, he would listen, joke, and was upfront in sharing his knowledge and point of view. Such a know-it-all! But, he definitely knew a lot.

A visitation for Steven will be held Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 10:00 AM for all family and friends at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, 466 North Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM. Steven's Family invite you to his Celebration of Life Reception at 3pm. Please see Sam Andres for venue details.