Steadfast is a great old English word that you seldom hear anymore. Steadfast-loyal, true, straight on course. A great old English sailing term. It is the word that popped into my head when Sandra called to tell me of Steve's passing. We moved to Kansas City in 1976 when my kids were young. A few years later, my son Adam became a cub scout, and that is when I first met Steve. I became a Webelos leader and, somehow I inherited a group of 15 4th grade boys. Karin, I can see you identify with this-multiply your family by 3 and throw in a couple of ADHDs. 
 I was out manned, out gunned, and totally inadequate to the task. Few dads ever showed up- work schedules, conflicts, some of those boys did not have dads. Steve was always there. Always. Camping, fishing -Steve was always there. He always had my back. So. So long old friend. I will have to have someone else to cover my back now. Phillip Rambow

Steve Boyse - RIP (1945 to 2016)
I first met Steve Boyse in 1959 at the Brookside Theatre when Steve was 14.
We were both hired as ushers for the 20th anniversary release of Gone with the Wind. I believe the theatre needed extra ushers because the seats were all reserved. We worked together at the Brookside Theatre for about 3 years. 

Steve contracted tuberculosis in 1962, missing his senior year in high school. Steve was hospitalized for about 6 months. I visited Steve in the hospital every week.

I got an afternoon job at the Morton Salt Company sales office on Paseo while still in my senior year, as the mail room clerk. When I left the Morton Salt Company I recommended Steve as my replacement, and Steve was able to get that job. 

When I graduated from Southwest High School in 1963 Steve accompanied me on round of parties at a school sponsored party, another male graduate's party, and a female graduate's party. We convinced 2 of the all-female graduate's party to come with us to crash the school sponsored party. However, the 2 girls chickened out and we took them back to their party house.

After high school, I got a full time job with The Order of DeMolay as an offset press operator. When I left The Order of DeMolay, I recommended Steve as my replacement, and Steve was able to get that job. 

I was living in a rented room in the house of Steve's grandmother, Mrs. Jones in 1965. In order to avoid being drafted into the Army, I volunteered for a 4 year tour with the Air Force. I needed to sell my car and other personal items. I sold Steve my father's 22 rifle, which Steve still has.

I did not see Steve again until 1969, when Steve and Sandy visited me in San Francisco.  The 3 pictures above dated 1983 were taken at a Brookside Theatre reunion somewhere in greater Kansas City area. I saw Steve every time I visited my Mother in Kansas City over the next 43 years. The last time I saw Steve was in 2012 at my Mother's funeral. The pictures above dated 2012 are from that visit.

Steve Boyse was my best friend in high school and for the next 57 years. I thought of Steve as my adopted brother. Steve will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

Eulogy as delivered by Noel Heckerson at Steve Boyse' funeral

I'm here as Steve's friend and fellow worker at the Brookside theatre in the early 60's.Sandy asked me to speak on behalf of, and to read messages from, some of the folks who took care  of the movie goers, and also had a great time amongst themselves.

The first tribute comes from Ron Bellamy, who says

I will remember Steve as a close personal friend and as a very intelligent guy with a wry sense of humor.

I knew him before he worked at the Brookside. We shared many common interests, most of which seem to revolve around our love of... wheels.

The broader truth is; we suffered through the teenage years of angst together, providing support for each other's flagging egos.

He eventually became part of the ' Brookside Family' and invaded all our hearts forever.
I particularly remember when he had to drop everything, including a year of high school, and spend a year in a sanatorium for TB. That had to be devastating and he was clearly upset by the prospect. But he accepted it and moved on.

I think he possessed an inner courage that was much stronger than I imagined.
It showed at the end.  He did not want to give up...or give in.
He relished life more than he let on. He was a real soldier"

Those words from Ron Bellamy....who told me he really needed a place to go back then...where he wasn't judged and felt appreciated. He said the Brookside and our bunch was a kind of haven for him...a confused teenager.

As you'll hear later, some of us, including Ron, visited with Steve a few weeks ago, as he tried valiantly to stay with us.

I'd like to mention here that a fellow usher and later a Kansas City, Missouri police officer, Dave Woodson, who lost his life in the line of duty, is, in my opinion, with Steve now...and I bet they can't stop laughing as they swap memories.

Darlene King, who sold popcorn, soft drinks and candy, has told me she always looked forward to coming to work with her..."other family". Here's how she remembers those...good old days.

"The Brookside Bunch, as we called ourselves, was a bunch of kids who worked at the Brookside Theatre in K.C. We didn't get to participate on regular school activities, as we worked every Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. So we formed our own group of friends. I am proud to say these friendships have stood the test of time and endured for over 50 years. We all went our separate ways but had several reunions over the years.

Like the rest of us, my memory fails me some, but I will always remember Steve's sense of humor. I always thought he should be a standup comic. He could tell a joke and never bat an eye or crack a smile.

Several years ago, Steve and Sandy came to our house. I believe Carla was there, and he was driving some kind of fancy sports car. We all visited quite a while, and Steve enjoyed a few beers....so when they left, Sandy would not let him drive. Now she had never driven this car and didn't know the gear shift pattern. The argument started in the driveway the first time she ground the gears. We were all standing outside waving goodbye and could hear him yelling at Sandy a block away. She told me later that she finally told him to just fasten his seat belt and shut up. That's our Steve.

       We recently had a mini reunion at the hospital. Steve couldn't talk but was awake. We went in pairs and related some of our craziest antics from the past. He was smiling and happy to see us.  That's how I want to remember him. We love you Steve and will miss you. To the family, all my love and blessings. God be with you and give you strength through this difficult time
Just know that he is finally at peace" 

That tribute from Darlene King.

Another Brookside stalwart, Carla McFarland, has been a consistent friend to Darlene and her late husband, Merle, as well as Sandy and Steve. Here's what she wants to share:

"My memories/stories of Steve are probably like everyone else's.  However, Steve and I shared the same birthday, March 6th. On our birthday we would use social media to see who would send wishes first. His special humor was always there, especially reminding me I was 2 years older. I'll be looking for that  message in March. I may not see it.....but I know it will be there.

 I feel so blessed to be part of the 'Brookside Gang' and the bond we all have."

Those words from Carla McFarland.

We had a pair of brothers working at the Brookside...Jerry and Jeffrey Stewart...whose parents incidentally, were nice enough to let us use their family room as a place to dance and hang out.  The 'twist'  was all the rage.

First....here's Jerry:

"My first recollection of Steve was of him entering or leaving the Brookside Theatre, which had large mirrors on the walls of the lobby.
Steve would always stop and comb his beautiful dark blonde hair....like Kookie...Ed Byrnes on the TV show '77 Sunset Strip'

That from Jerry Stewart


More often than not, if you saw Steve, Jeffrey wasn't far behind.
Here then is Jeff's tribute:

"Steve was my best friend in High School and for the next 57 years.
I saw Steve every time I visited my mother in Kansas City.
The last time I saw Steve was at my Mother's funeral in 2012.
I thought of Steve as my adopted brother.
He will be sorely missed..... But never forgotten"

STEVE  BOYSE

I can't recall exactly where it was that I first met Steve.  Probably at a British car show or some event hosted by the KC MG Car Club or the Kansas City Triumphs.  But I do remember that I quickly found we had things in common.  Not only did we share a first name, we were both car nuts in general and British sports car nuts in particular.  We were about the same age and had grown up in the Kansas City suburbs.  But our cars were the focus of that meeting and similarities existed there also.

Almost all of the other cars had sparkling chrome, and gleaming paint applied over perfectly straight body panels and coated with whatever wax was currently being touted as the most lustrous.  They had interiors without rips, tears, scuffs, and scrapes and without any dust or clutter.  They looked better than the day the cars rolled out of the factory.  Steve's car and mine, not so much.

The real difference with our cars was even more easily seen when looking at the mechanicals.  On most other cars every component looked sparkly and new because it either was brand new or because it had been removed and cleaned, painted, polished and carefully reinstalled.  On Steve's car and mine mechanical components showed a rich patina.  I use the word patina but others might call it tarnish or rust or grease.  Nuts and bolts on our cars mostly had rounded corners showing multiple applications of force from wrenches.  A forensic expert could easily find splatters of knuckle blood that could be identified as belonging to the car's owners.  Steve and I tended to look after a component only when it quit working completely.  And then we didn't just rush to buy a new one, we were far more likely to pry the old one apart, figure out why it quit, fix that using JB Weld, Super Glue, baling wire and duct tape.  Our repaired part might last another year if we were lucky.  We thought of ourselves as ingenious, resourceful and thrifty.  Others might say cheap.

It wasn't for several years that I figured out why we shared that thriftiness trait.  From the DNA samples we submitted we learned that we were 4th or 5th cousins.  So far we haven't located exactly how our family trees come together or who our common ancestor is.  But I would bet that it is somewhere up my line that originated in Scotland.  The people of Scotland point out that they aren't really stingy or miserly, but when it comes time to spend money they just suffer from very deep pockets and very short arms.

Whenever the Triumph club gets together for a social we often refer to it as a meeting of the Steve club.  With 20 or so guys in the room at least 5 or 6 will answer to the name of Steve.  Well the Steve club sadly now has one less member.

Steve Olson

Thinking of you and your family at this time of sorrow.  Praying you will find comfort in your memories and the assurance you will see Steve again.



Sandy, my prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time. May God give you peace and comfort

Steve and I worked together in the mid 70's at Associated Photographers. He was a pleasure to work with and we became friends outside of work, visiting he and Sandy at home, camping and fishing in the Ozarks and other adventures. Moving to Chicago and raising my own family caused us to have less contact but I always thought about Steve and was glad to have him back as a Facebook friend. I was very fortunate to see he and Sandy again at the end of November 2016. My thoughts and love to the family.

Steve Boyse was my best friend in high school and for the next 57 years. I thought of Steve as my adopted brother. Steve will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

Steve was a good friend for 55 years. We ran the roads in high school and college days. He was always a solid, dependable guy with a fine sense of humor. In later times, because of geography, we saw each other infrequently but  we could always resume where we left off as if the years and geography had never parted us. That's a true sign of friendship.  I came to realize what a solid family man Steve was. He was proud of his family and enjoyed talking about them. My heartfelt condolences to the family.   Jim Denham

I will miss a dear old friend and a great guy

Steve, we were friends for almost 60 years. I watched you grow from a boy into a man, a father and a grandfather. You did it with a quiet intelligence and a wry and funny sense of humor. You remained loyal to your friends even when time and distance conspired to obscure those connections. I will look back fondly on the experiences and friendship we have shared, forever. Your passing has left a vacancy in my heart than can never be filled. Rest in peace, my friend.

Ron and Mary Jo Bellamy
Clinton, TN

I want to start out saying you were an amazing dad. You told me along time ago you did not know how to be a good dad but I want to tell you you were the best dad a son could ever have. I am glad you were my dad.

I want to thank you for all the memories you gave me to cub scouts to baseball games. I remember so many wonderful things you taught me through out the years like playing catch with me to teaching me how to sand a pine wood derby car to fixing my cars. 

I remember the many camping trips we went on as a family to the boy scout overnights in the coldest days of the year. You were always there for me.  

Every son wishes there dad's where superheroes. Well you were my superhero. You were the smartest person I knew who I could always call up at any time to ask a question or to the simplest thing like a wheel fell off my toy car. You were always there to save the day.  

I was so amazed that every where you went you always made friends and your friends would do anything for you like you would be there for me.

I thank you for teaching me how to play pool to fixing breaks on my car to building a deck to mowing the yard. I have so many memories of you that it's hard to put them all down on paper at one time.

You taught me the importance of a fast classic car to admiring a classic luxury car that is worth preserving. We have had many cars over the years and have shared many dreams of cars at car shows together. I thank you for the memories.

I thanks you for teaching me how to build a fire and how to how to tie a tie. Those are the simple things a dad can do.

I thank you for all the times you stood for me and all the times you stood by my side when a dad should be by his son. I thank you for being my dad.

I remember the long road trips we took as a family to you teaching me how to drive a car. I remember the many years of baseball practice and you chearing in the stands. The mornings we shared on the weekends watching car shows to Sunday chefs games to teaching me how to play pool. They are all memories I will cherish.

Every kid wants a great dad and every dad wants to know they were a great. We'll I stand here today to say you were.

May the peace of the Lord be with you and your family . Richard and Ann

Rest in peace, Dad. You fought a valiant fight. Together with Mom, you taught me some of my most important values: hard work and perseverance, love of learning, sacrifice for a greater purpose, importance of family, appreciation for the outdoors, and using my voice. Thank you for all the fun memories and important lessons. 
I will forever be your daughter, who danced on your feet in our family room to ABBA, learned from you how to build a mean campfire, walked down the aisle with you at my wedding, and stood by your side while you courageously fought against leukemia. I love you, Dad. I miss you. I will keep your memory alive in our family stories and traditions. 
May God grant you peace with Him in Heaven.

Sandy, my thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.  Dee Morley

Sandy, my deepest sympathies go out to you during this time.  I will keep your family in my prayers.

My deepest condolences to the family.  May the assurance at Psalms 29:11 provide comfort to you at this difficult time.

Sandra, Eric and Karin and family.  Please accept our condolences in your loss of Steve.  May God guide and help you in your grief.  So sorry we were unable to get to Kansas City to meet with you.  
Robert T and Phyllis Boyse
Mesa AZ

OBITUARY

Stephen Jack Boyse

March 6, 1945 – December 29, 2016

McGilley State Line Chapel

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