Waldrip, Steven L. – 64 years old – Born March 11, 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is preceded in death by parents SMSGT Charles L. Waldrip and Alice Elaine Waldrip, both from Georgia. He along with his parents, brother, and sisters lived in Japan, Maryland/DC, and Florida, finally ending up in Nebraska.
Steve was the jokester in the family. Always laughing, playing pranks, being mischievous, letting his siblings take the blame for things he did like coloring on the walls. Us kids knew he was the only one that would draw a family portrait with our arms coming out of our heads, but he was too cute and innocent looking--so no one ever thought he was at fault. He and his brother, Danny took great pleasure in scaring their little sister, Debi. They would hide under her bed, wait till she went to sleep and then jump out and scare her, then fall over laughing when she would start screaming. Fond memories!
As a youth, Steve loved baseball and was on 2 championship teams. He was an excellent pool player, rode a unicycle and skateboard everywhere. He loved old rock & roll music and would play Smoke on the Water (mostly just the intro) over and over on his electric guitar till we begged him to stop! He shared this love of music and guitars with his nephew, Chris.
Above all else, he loved fishing. He was at home by the water in the sunshine catching big bass and catfish. He’s responsible for his sister Vickie’s and niece Jessica’s love of fishing which they always enjoyed doing together.
Steve graduated from Papillion-LaVista High School in 1976 and then went on to Southeast Community College in Milford, NE, and graduated from the Automotive Technology Program in 1978.
Steve loved cars and was always good with his hands, taking things apart, then putting them back together again. When he was younger, he took the clocks apart and put them back together with the hands twirling around really fast and said “Look, I made time fly!” He was an excellent mechanic and spent many hours after work repairing the cars of every family member, because Dad said he had to!
In his early 20’s, he bought a classic Thunderbird, fixed it up, then painted it a beautiful metallic blue that was quite a showpiece. Steve worked many years at Sapp Brothers. He then went to work at Heimes Corp as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic. This was the job that he loved the most—the work, the guys in the shop, and the owners. He enjoyed being there and had so much respect for everyone.
We will always remember Steve for his smile, his huge heart, and his uncontrollable laughter, which always resulted in him snorting which would make us laugh even more. He had a knack for telling jokes and making people laugh and smile. Steve was a kind, loving, caring, and funny person and will be forever missed by his family and those whose life he touched.
He lived in Gretna, NE for about 30 years, and loved his Gretna neighborhood. It was quiet and peaceful, and he had a close relationship with neighbors who were such great friends. He would always comment on how everyone watched out for each other and was appreciative of everything they did for him.
Steve is survived by: Brother, Danny Waldrip of San Francisco; Sister, Vickie (Donald) Kratky of Papillion, NE; Sister, Debi (Bobby) Slobodnik of Omaha, NE; Niece, Jessica (Anthony) Clark of Omaha, NE; Nephew, Christopher Breci, Omaha, NE; Nephew, Adam (Jamie)Kratky and children of Omaha, NE; and beloved cat, Star, who meant the world to him.
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