Steve was born on October 6th, 1953 in Los Angeles, California to Clemens and Irma Vinisky. He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1971 and attended a few years of college. On June 7th 1975, he married the love of his life, Heather Millstead. They raised three children together, two daughters Corrine and Nicole, and a son, Bryant. Throughout his life Steve was a very loving father, son, brother, husband, and friend. As just one example, he provided a home to his older brother, Bob, for much of his life.
Steve loved to read and preferred it over watching TV. He found pleasure in books, newspapers, magazines and journals which were his regular sources for news, education, information and entertainment. Occasionally, he would remark to his family that from a very young age his dream was to be stuck in a library with all the books. His literary tastes were vast, ranging from reference materials for narcissus daffodils to war history, and he especially loved science fiction and fantasy genres, such as The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, which was one of his favorites.
Steve was an engaging and great story teller. He was very funny and witty, ready with jokes for so many situations. He was a performer and an entertainer. As a young boy, his career began by learning, practicing and performing magic. He dedicated much time and effort to refining the craft. By the age of 18, he had a budding magic career that had him flying cross country to perform at corporate events and trade shows while he was still in high school. Steve excelled at refining an existing trick and performing it well while connecting with the audience most often through humor.
Magic, laughter and entertainment were all key in leading Steve to capture his future wife’s heart while performing at The Tinder Box in Knott’s Berry Farm. Heather was the one and only love for Steve. He considered her a true joy. An oft repeated quip he would say to his children was, “your mom wasn’t perfect, but she was perfect for me.”
His career as a magician and entertainer brought him into contact with the corporate business world. The connections he built there eventually led Steve to become a salesman. He sold toys for Mattel and video games for Nintendo throughout Central and South America. It was during this time that he expanded his interests in the world of horticulture, plants and flowers. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Steve became a close friend of esteemed daffodil hybridizer Sidney DuBose.
His budding interest in daffodils prompted Steve to move his family from the California Bay Area to Sherwood, OR in 1989 to start a four-acre daffodil farm. For him, daffodils were changing from a hobby to a serious passion and eventually transformed through the years to a professional business called Cherry Creek Daffodils. When Sidney DuBose passed, Steve inherited his plants and moved them to Oregon. Steve’s daffodil farm grew a variety of flowers over the years, including his own cross-bred varieties, as well as cultivars from friends, colleagues and other passionate daffodil hybridizers across the world. He involved himself in the orchid and rhododendron communities where he also became well known. And Steve always shared, “No one is born with a green thumb; you have to learn by killing a lot of plants.”
His best stems were picked and displayed at Oregon Daffodil Society shows and American Daffodil Society Conventions. Over the years he won countless ribbons and awards including “Best in Show'' amongst others. You would find him at plant sales, hosting and presenting at daffodil conventions, teaching others through classes, and sharing knowledge with those who shared his passion. He served as president of the ADS.
In the early 90’s Steve and his brother Bob Vinisky developed an International Daffodil Database for Macintosh, with indexed photos and information for different daffodil species and classes. This was tailored and adopted by the ADS to serve growers worldwide. By the mid 90’s Steve had a website and yearly catalog for selling bulbs by mail from Cherry Creek Daffodils to other passionate fans.
He will be greatly missed by those who knew him and by his surviving children and five grandchildren.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.skylinememorialgardens.com for the Vinisky family.
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