Losing a Workout Friend Suddenly

My old swimming buddy Julia sent me a note about a week ago. Fellow swimming buddy Steve H fell ill with a fast moving form of cancer and had just passed away. My boys and I stopped by the wake to hug his wife this past weekend.

The front...


... and the back.

His wife said he was biking just 4 days before being sent to the hospital. It happened fast. He was 64 years old - 24 years older than me, but my wife and I always figured he was around 8 years older than us. He was very fit. Always smiley and friendly. Truly a guy you'd want to hang out with.

We changed gyms in 2014, but before that, I was doing a lot of swimming with Julia, Steve, and the gang at the YWCA of St. Paul:

"The gang" in the pool in 2009 or 2010. With 3 Steves on the right.




First OWS of 2010 (with my wife on the right, and the other 2 Steves pictured).




At the Great Prairie 2.5K open water swim race.


So many laps around Square Lake with this crew.






At the "Y Guys" swim meet at St. Thomas.


Steve and Julia talking during meet warm-ups.


One day after a swim at Square Lake, Julia and Steve wanted to practice some "race starts..."


... so they ran in at me...


... and then we brought our bikes and rode some hills out by the St. Croix River.

As Julia noted, Steve "usually responded to my crazy swim ideas/workouts with 'that is a horrible idea, what time?'" I love that.

Rest in peace, Steve. ❤️❤️