Steve Jones died on Sept. 22 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He died in the same bed where his 11 children were born, his biggest admirers in the world. He was 73.

Steve was born on Oct. 13, 1950. He was larger than life and showed it by living life the way he chose. He accomplished many great feats: including crossing the country east to west and west to east many times on his bicycle. He even did a north to south (Alaska to Mexico) bike trip once.

He made an earnest attempt to sail from San Diego to Hawaii in a rowboat with a small sail. He rode his bike thousands of miles even while afflicted with prostate cancer. He thought it was just saddle sores. His stamina and perseverance made him never quit.

The only thing he ever quit was drinking. With over 50 years of sobriety he was an asset, mentor and friend in the recovery community. He even managed to write a book of stories of his life during his last two years.

He was kind and altruistic and in his book when answering “What is the most selfless thing you have ever done?” he thought for a few days and recounted, “Back in 1974, I was in England, waiting for a train when I noticed an elderly woman struggling with her bags. I helped her with her bags and she was very grateful. It only took a minute and I was on my way.”

This small act of kindness extended through his life as he helped many other women with their baggage. There is even an unconfirmed rumor that he once helped a man. He taught his six sons how to help with baggage and he taught his five daughters to not pack lightly.

He will be greatly missed. Per his wishes, his ashes will be spread at a private family gathering on Chappaquiddick Island at an undetermined future date.

A link to his book, Life Stories.