1969-2006

AMFSTJ

Steven Thomas Justen  was born on August 8, 1969, the last of the five children of Larry and Thecla. An avowed "surprise" that neither of my parents planned for, Steve nevertheless exhibited a spirit, vitality, and lust for life that my siblings and I were, indeed, envious of.

Because of the luck of his placement in the family, Steve always drew the emphasis. When Mom would call us for dinner it would be "Judi Edward Margaret Ami, and STEEEEE-VEEEEEN."

Likewise, because of his placement in the family line, the rest of us siblings always felt he had it the best. By the time he was a teenager, Judi and I were out of the house, and Margaret was well on her way.  So Steven had it pretty good growing up, and believe me, the rest of us siblings regularly let him know how jealous we were.

Like most boys, Steven took an interest in sports and athletics early on, playing Little League Baseball at the age of eight . Later in his childhood he honed his basketball skills playing pick-up games  against our sister Margaret, and kids in the neighborhood. Those skills paid off when Steven made the varsity basketball team as a starter in high school.

But sports weren't Steve's only interest. No matter what he did, he did it with passion and enthusiasm. As a teenager he developed an interest in dirt bikes, played trombone in the high school band, and, while working a steady schedule at the local Subway Sandwhich shop, was able to still take meticulous care of our front lawn, a task at which none of us siblings, was very successful.    

As an adult Steve continued to exhibit a vitality for life, taking on new challenges. Late in his teen years, he discovered, and took up, golf, which would become a passionate thread through his entire adult life. In 1992, Steve graduated from Cal State Fullerton, and immediately pursued a successful career in financial services that took him to Georgia, Texas, Alabama, back to Georgia, and finally back to Texas.

As an adult, Steve's passion for sports continued to be a common thread. For example, when I helped him move into his condo in Georgia, he made me chuckle when searching for cable deals. As long as the package included all the ESPN networks, he was happy. He would chill out after work buy watching what he referred to as "The Yappers," those late afternoon ESPN talk shows where commentators would rehash the days sport's news.

Throughout his adult life, Steve had faithful friends, and to his friends he had a sign-off that he would often use, either on his e-mail or when talking on the phone. If you ever exchanged e-mail with Steve, you knew his e-mail address was AMFSTJ. The AMF stood for "Adios, My Friend." Anytime we've spoken on the phone over the last few years he would end the conversation not with "Goodbye" or Talk to you later" but simply, “AMF.”

Well, Steven, AMF, may your rest be as peaceful and tranquil as the morning dew on well kept fairway. Your family and friends already miss you terribly, and we wait can't to meet up with you in heaven.