RIP Steve: Uncle Eddy’s Wife Pays Tribute To Her Father – A Special Edition Mixtape
In this episode, we pay tribute to my late father-in-law. On Steve’s Birthday, my wife and I listened to some of his iTunes library. (Yeah, he was pretty hip to the digital world… he had an iPhone before any of the rest of us). A love for the “oldies” music of his generation was one thing that Steve and I had been able to share over the years…and I have always been grateful that he passed on a love for that great music to his daughter. After immersing ourselves in some of his favorite songs and artists, Ang and I decided that it would be fitting to put this special mixtape together, in honor of a man who loved life and helped shape the soundtrack of her childhood. Below are Angela’s words of love and remembrance for her father, Steven Frank Davenport.
My father, Steve Davenport, ended his remarkable 11 year battle with end-stage lung cancer this last Tuesday. At age 55 he was given 1-2 years to live. Today, we celebrate what would have been his 66th birthday. In my efforts to find tangible ways to feel close to him again, I have found myself standing in his closet, hugging a bundle of his shirts. Listening to old messages just so I can hear his voice again. And last evening, I just discovered his favorite playlist on his iPad. I decided that I wanted to share some of his songs, because I feel like I’m sharing some of him and some of our history. This man loved life. He loved laughing and making others laugh. He loved family, and he loved love. He didn’t live his life, not even with terminal illness, in fear. He just lived. This is a small collection of songs that moved and shaped him, and memories from my entire life with him. Songs that I remember him putting on repeat while he belted them out. Songs that he sang and danced silly to, to make us laugh. Songs that spoke something that he didn’t have the words for. These songs reflect the man and his heart, and therefore will forever be in my heart.
Happy Birthday, Dad. In my life, I loved you more…