Stephen John Wiatrowski

Funeral Service will be held 10am, Saturday, April 1, 2023 at Bohlender Funeral Chapel. Interment will follow at Grandview Cemetery.

Stephen John Wiatrowski passed away on March 29, 2023 after a three-year battle with oropharyngeal cancer.

Stephen was born on March 12, 1965 in Providence, Rhode Island to Stephen F Wiatrowski and Annette Marie Jutras Wiatrowski. He was the baby brother to his older sisters Denise Wiatrowski and Lisa Wiatrowski.

Steve graduated from Coventry High School in 1983 and went to Paul Smith's College in upstate New York to earn an Associates in Forestry in 1985. He then transferred to Colorado State University and completed his Bachelor of Sciences in Forest Biology in 1988.

Throughout college Steve worked various jobs in restaurants where he gained an appreciation for all types of foods and he learned to be an amazing cook and chef. He also worked at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management as a Park Ranger and would apply those same skills to later becoming the Horsetooth Park Ranger in Fort Collins, Colorado. Upon Steve's graduation from CSU, he would go on to make a career as an Environmental Specialist at the Department of Health & Environment for Weld County, Colorado. He would spend 21 years of service with Weld County and then made a career change in 2010 to the Oil & Gas Industry where he would spend the remainder of his career. In all areas of Steve's work, he would build friendships that lasted his lifetime. His coworkers and colleagues would become like family.

Stephen is survived by his parents Stephen F Wiatrowski and Annette Marie Jutras Wiatrowski, his two sisters Denise Wiatrowski and Lisa Wiatrowski, the mother of his children and wife, Lydia Lerma and his three children; Hyatt Vincent, Arjay Wiatrowski, and Stephen G. Wiatrowski. Stephen is also survived by his nephews Erik, Zachary, and Jason Mattera, Brent, Carlos J and Damian Lerma and his nieces Jenna and Stefanie Roberge, Maria Guzman, Jherika and Noelle Lerma.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a tree be planted in his memory or donations be made to the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center in Denver, Colorado: https://www.rmvictimlaw.org/

Stephen John Wiatrowski
Eulogy
Written by Hyatt Vincent
1 April 2023

"Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."

Father

Stephen John Wiatrowski, known to some as Steve, Stefchu, Stevie Y, Stebeb, as well as friend, uncle, brother, son, husband, and most importantly – dad. Above all, Steve cherished being a father. His children meant the world to him, and we would often joke that our mother, Lydia, was "just a vessel" to bring us into the world for him. My name is Hyatt. I am Steve's oldest daughter, and while I may not be his biologically, I am his by choice. Steve accepted and loved me as his own, and he would often say that I was "effortless." A couple years later, my little sister, Arjay, came into this world and she was, in fact, not "effortless." She tested every parenting skill Steve and my mom had, but that never meant the love between her and her dad ever faltered. To this day, she is daddy's girl. And a few more years later, my little brother Stephen joined our family. Having two daughters was a blessing, but having a son changed Steve. He saw himself in his son – how both of them looked like little old men as babies and how the shape of their eyes reflected one another. They both have tall and lanky bodies, and both their smiles would always brighten the room. We are all his legacy. And although Steve didn't get enough time here with all of us, the time each of us had with him was full of genuine love.

Accomplishments, Outdoors

Beyond his children, Steve had many accomplishments throughout his life. He graduated from Coventry High School in 1983 before attending Paul Smith's College in upstate New York. There at Paul Smith's, he cherished being surrounded by forest. He earned his Associates in Forestry in 1985 before transferring to Colorado State University to earn his Bachelor of Sciences in Forest Biology in 1988. I remember him telling us about how he was required to go to Pingree Park as part of completing his degree at CSU, and he said to his advisor, "Really? You know I came here from Paul Smith's, right? I know what forest ecology is and the forests here are nothing compared to the forests out east." The outdoors and nature were a part of Steve - He loved to hike and be outdoors, appreciating every tree and plant he came across and the animals he would encounter. He could tell us the scientific name of every tree and always had facts about nature and science on hand. I believe there is no greater transition for Steve than to return to the earth and nourish the nature he cherished so deeply.

Athlete, Camping

Cancer could not take away that Steve was an incredible athlete. He loved sports and played football in high school and baseball from little league into his mid-forties. Other than being a parent, he said riding his bike across America was one of his greatest accomplishments. He did it in 6 days, 14 hours, 26 minutes as part of team Rocky Rollers. He was also a triathlete – one who would run, swim, and bike for hours because he loved to be fit and exercise. He also loved to go camping. He would hike the Zirkels with his dogs Ripley and Guinness and disappear into the wilderness for days. He loved to bring his camper, ride around on his side-by-side, fish, and drink beer and laugh with his friends and family. I will never forget being out camping one year – we were staying in a cabin with some friends. I was much younger, probably less than 10 years old, and all of a sudden, I hear pounding on the sides of the cabin and see this white face looking into the windows. I'm screaming, terrified, as the pounding continues and the door opens and this figure with a white mask walks into the cabin carrying a flashlight in one hand. Menacingly, the figure slowly walks toward me as I'm literally trying to climb the corner walls of the cabin in fear. I honestly don't remember much after that, but I know he burst out laughing after it happened along with the other parents too. Of course, the terrifying figure was Steve. He had taken a paper plate and cut two holes for the eyes and one hole for the mouth and made the plate look like Jason's hockey mask. He pulled his hoodie over the plate to make it stay in place and he thought it was the funniest thing ever completely terrifying me and my friend Lexi. That's a memory I'll never forget. As scared as I was back then, I think about it now and it makes me smile because that's the kind of guy Steve was. He always made people laugh. He always thought of the funniest things to say and do. No matter where he was, he was always happy and joking.

Friends

Steve had so many friends and so many people who loved him. From keeping in touch with people he grew up with to college friends that have lasted a lifetime to meeting new people at Matt's Place and becoming friends in one night, Steve was a friend to anyone who needed it. As he grew up, everyone in school knew him as the class clown and homecoming king. He was the star quarterback and back then in some ways the typical jock – always the center of attention, always telling funny jokes, always happy and smiling. Of course, I didn't know Steve throughout his childhood, or college Steve, but I encourage those who did to come and share stories with us. Remind us of the man that touched so many lives.

Final Thank You

I want to say thank you to everyone on behalf of our whole family, and on behalf of Steve, too. Thank you to his friends for being here for all of us. Thank you to his family for coming together to celebrate his life. Thank you to Pathways Hospice and everyone at that facility that has helped make this journey just a little easier for all of us. And for helping Steve transition comfortably without pain. Thank you to Freedom Drilling Services for loving and appreciating Steve as a man rather than just an employee. I know Steve wouldn't want us to gather in sadness. I know he would want us to celebrate his life. Celebrate the hilarious, kind, and loving man he always was. I'm sure he's watching us now, as we all tear up, and he's saying, "Ey, I'll give ya something to cry about" and he'd laugh that his funeral is on April Fool's Day.

I encourage everyone to come speak about Steve. Let's relive the memories we created with him, and cherish how he brought so many of us together. Look at this. Look at how one man has connected so many lives and so many more who cannot be with us in person today. The last time Steve was at Matt's he looked at me and said, "There is so much love in this room." And he was right. Wherever Steve is, there is so much love. There is so much love in this room right now.

Thank you.