As one of Laura's closest friends since the 6th grade, I have had the privilege to know Steven since he was in the 3rd grade. I was lucky enough to be included in many Keating family activities including family trips to Elkford where we played endless board games, watched movies and saw lots of great wildlife (including a moose). I have included a couple of photos from these trips below (don't mind my hair!). I was also included on family trips to Petland to buy dead mice to feed to Steven's pet snake Pinky, who Steven adored, even though some of us found Pinky to be less endearing. During my many visits to the Keating family home, Steven would be building inventions in his famous basement laboratory while we would be busy making up dances and doing our hair. I can see now that this passion for building things with his hands and understanding how things work resulted in Steven accomplishing so much in the time that he had.
As we got older and both Laura and Steven headed around the globe for their various adventures, I did not get to see Steven as much as I did when we were kids. But every time I did see him, I always marveled at how tall he was (because in my mind he was still a little brother). In 2016 both Laura and Steven were living in California and my husband Jeff and I went down to visit Laura. Even though Steven was in the final stretches of his PhD thesis and was encountering some issues with his robot at the time, he still took time out for a visit with us and to tour us around. Everyone who met Steven knew how fiercely intelligent he was, but he was also incredibly kind and thoughtful. Steven always approached everything he did with great enthusiasm and truly had a passion for life. Steven, you will be missed so much, but we are lucky to have you touch our lives and hearts for the time you were here.
