STEVE ANDREWS OBITUARY

STEVE ANDREWS Stephen Trevor Andrews, 53 years old, born in Chico, CA died on May 21, 2021 from complications of a brain tumor. He fought hard and never gave up (NGU). As everything he did in his life he stayed positive and smiled every day. Steve was one of a kind and everyone’s friend. An avid outdoorsman who loved being in nature biking, running, skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, or pulling his bow on the range. His second love was the fire service. He had a wide range of jobs and mini-careers before discovering the fire service which became his passion and final career, as a Captain with the City of Chico Fire & Rescue Dept. He went out of his way to learn new rescue skills and techniques, or about new equipment to improve the work they did. He eventually became certified and experienced in so many areas, that the student became the teacher, and spread his passion of the fire service on to others. He was extremely grateful for his 20+ full-time years in the dept. and 6+ years prior to that as a volunteer. Both with the City of Chico. Born and raised in Chico he grew up when the city was small and pretty much everyone knew each other. I think this was part of the reason why he was so friendly and personable. He loved his community and especially Bidwell Park, where he spent so many hours running, biking, hiking, and participating in rescues and rescue drills. He attended schools in Chico and graduated from Pleasant Valley HS in 1985 and later Butte College with a degree in Fire Science. While he was growing up, he was active in sports, and at one point was considered a semi-pro snow skier. He was heavily involved in the Boy Scouts and became a nationally recognized sharpshooter by the time he was in high school. He loved tinkering and fixing things, and really excelled in anything mechanical. After high school, he went on to attend UTI to become a certified diesel mechanic; although shortly after returning home with his certificate, decided it was not for him. Steve met his life-long companion, LeAnn in 1991 when he was into rollerblading and bungy jumping off of bridges. A good friendship turned into something that doesn’t come along very often. They traveled and lived in different cities for the first two years of togetherness enjoying Tahoe, the SF Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest on adventures. Eventually they settled back to Chico in 1993 to finish both of their educations’, start careers, and a family. Steve was an amazing Dad and was heavily involved with the boys’ Little League years, as well as travel soccer and baseball. He was the kind of dad every kid deserves and became a 2nd dad for many young people in our community. He was like a kid himself, which made him a fun dad and a best friend at the same time. He truly believed in positive reinforcement and “tough love” with lots of hugs and saying, “I love you” often. This was a good recipe for raising good humans, as he raised two great “men children” Jake and Pete. Steve’s attitude in life was undeniably full of energy with a positive outlook with the next adventure or project around the corner. He was always wanting to learn new things or try out other activities. Many years ago, he decided he needed to “improve his cardio” so he began running at the gym. This led him to start running outdoors, and then to his first 5K race in Bidwell Park. This one challenge took him on a journey of races over many years in many cities, that eventually led him to qualify and run the Boston Marathon in 2011. One year Steve & LeAnn decided it would be fun to learn how to dive so they took classes and became certified divers and dove in the Monterey Bay. Another year they decided to jump out of an airplane so they did, while looking over Lake Tahoe. There was a lifetime of adventures, funny stories, and laughter that always followed Steve. He liked to “push the envelope” and get involved in mostly innocent shenanigans, which were always fun to be a part of. He will truly be missed by all who knew him. He will certainly be looking over all of us, whispering in our ear, encouraging us to do something fun, crazy, and to never give up on what we want out of life. Steve leaves behind his wife of 29 years, LeAnn, two sons Jake and Pete, his parents Elton and Mary Andrews, and his brother, Stan Andrews. He was preceded in death by his sister Teri Andrews (1985). He is also survived by his nephew, Travis Stearns (who was like a brother to him) and Travis’ family (Kelsey, Ty and Ainsley), his niece, Marci Andrews and her mother Aurora Cervantes. His sister and brother in-laws, Alexis Dunn (Corbin) and Nik Steinberg (Yelena), his parents’ in-laws Ken and Jeannie Steinberg and Lance and Gail Schroeder. Steve also leaves behind an amazing group of friends, co-workers, hunting buddies, and long-time neighbors that have supported and loved Steve (and his family) for many years, and especially in the last 9 months of his life. The Andrews family would like to acknowledge the wonderful care provided by UC Davis Hospital, Enloe Cancer Center, Enloe Rehab Center, and Enloe Hospice Care. We would also like to especially recognize the Chico Firefighters Local 2734 for their exceptional support of Steve and his family during these past difficult months, while also handling most of Steve’s service arrangements. The brother/sisterhood of this group is like none other, and our family is eternally grateful to them and their families. Stay the course. God Bless you all. Donations can be made online to the North Valley Community Foundation Ray Head Memorial Fund, which supports families that have been affected by a local fire. Please no flower donations, as Steve would have wanted your funds to go to a good cause or to enjoy nature’s flowers outdoors. Condolences may be made online at www.BrusieFH.com. A private funeral for family, First Responders and closest friends will be held on Thursday morning May 27th followed by a public graveside service on Thursday, May 27th at 1:00 p.m. at Glen Oaks Memorial Park. Feel free to bring a lawn chair.

Published by Chico Enterprise-Record on May 25, 2021.
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MEMORIES & CONDOLENCES
FOR STEVE ANDREWS

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LaRee Hartman
May 31, 2021
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
Steve and Polly Codorniz
Polly Codorniz
May 28, 2021

I was so sorry to hear about Steve’s death. I knew Steve, LeeAnn and Peter as a 4th grade student of mine at Marigold. Thet are a loving and committed family. Loved Steve’s attitude and friendliness. always willing to help when they could. Hugs, love and prayers for peace and comfort to his family, Fire Dept family and many friends. Fondly Margie Smith

Margie Smith
May 27, 2021

I am at a loss for words, thank you Steve for your presence here on earth! He was such a warm spirit, always smiling and friendly! I went to high school with him and would run into him at Safeway frequently when he and his crew would go shopping. He always was so wonderful to see, smiling and saying hello. Such a wonderful spirit! My heart goes out to his loving family, sending prayers and comfort during this difficult time.