Thank you for your kind comments. You describe the Step I knew so well. He had a huge heart, and heaven has one serious protector now. You are right; he was never racist at all. He was just a good man doing a hero’s job.

I was so happy to hear the Patriot Guard Riders chose his funeral to be the first-ever LE funeral they participated in. It was quite an honor, and the group was amazed at the number of friends, family, and admirers Step left behind. They felt honored just to be part of it.

Thanks for stopping by. I just removed the registration requirement from my site at the request of a few others.

Write anytime.

Ms.U

Step & Kel are friends of ours, so we know the real man. Those who didn’t know Step, have no right to suggest he might be racist. He wasn’t, and he never approached his job that way. He was as equal opportunity as they come. He was just very dedicated in ALL he became involved with…and yes, he was very intense. As candid as he was when we hung out or in internet chats, he never said ANYTHING which might be considered racially motivated. Yes, he had great police stories, but he’d rather talk about his car or his wife. THAT was the Step we knew.

Nearly six months later, it still hurts. I’m still haunted by the loss of someone so young, so funny and so protective of his friends. I still haven’t deleted his number from my phone…its strange. Yet, whatever it is that bothers me about his death, is nothing compared to how his wife and family feels about the loss; the future left unfinished, the questions yet answered. Why?

That night at the funeral home, as I touched his chest and said goodbye, I was angered – but resolved to be an even better person. I realized that with all the people in the funeral home, the funeral and the coverage it received, that Step touched more people than he could ever imagine. He was a hero, but never acted like one to his friends. It became so much clearer to me: ordinary people can do extraordinary things! Peace!

Thank you for your kind comments. You describe the Step I knew so well. He had a huge heart, and heaven has one serious protector now. You are right; he was never racist at all. He was just a good man doing a hero's job.

I was so happy to hear the Patriot Guard Riders chose his funeral to be the first-ever LE funeral they participated in. It was quite an honor, and the group was amazed at the number of friends, family, and admirers Step left behind. They felt honored just to be part of it.

Thanks for stopping by. I just removed the registration requirement from my site at the request of a few others.

Write anytime.

Ms.U

Step & Kel are friends of ours, so we know the real man. Those who didn't know Step, have no right to suggest he might be racist. He wasn't, and he never approached his job that way. He was as equal opportunity as they come. He was just very dedicated in ALL he became involved with…and yes, he was very intense. As candid as he was when we hung out or in internet chats, he never said ANYTHING which might be considered racially motivated. Yes, he had great police stories, but he'd rather talk about his car or his wife. THAT was the Step we knew.

Nearly six months later, it still hurts. I'm still haunted by the loss of someone so young, so funny and so protective of his friends. I still haven't deleted his number from my phone…its strange. Yet, whatever it is that bothers me about his death, is nothing compared to how his wife and family feels about the loss; the future left unfinished, the questions yet answered. Why?

That night at the funeral home, as I touched his chest and said goodbye, I was angered – but resolved to be an even better person. I realized that with all the people in the funeral home, the funeral and the coverage it received, that Step touched more people than he could ever imagine. He was a hero, but never acted like one to his friends. It became so much clearer to me: ordinary people can do extraordinary things! Peace!

Welcome to this edition of Sneaks Wide World of Blogging. This series is dedicated to the proposition that Blogging is a prime example of the saying Variety is the Spice of Life. Let’s get to the good stuff! ;-D This…

Welcome to this edition of Sneaks Wide World of Blogging. This series is dedicated to the proposition that Blogging is a prime example of the saying Variety is the Spice of Life. Let's get to the good stuff! ;-D This…

July 6th, 2006 at 4:22 pm

Ms. U,

My sincere condolences to this fine officer’s family…May he rest in peace and watch over y’all like an angel from above.

I just wish I was not reading some of the mean comments… (a response to the original post – Ms. U) I understand from where you are coming and venting your anger through your grief.

July 6th, 2006 at 3:26 pm

First of all, let me express my sympathy for not only a life, but for the life of one whose job was to protect us from the criminals roaming our streets. It is fortunate that ‘Step’ was able to reduce the number of ‘Wanted’ by one before he died.

Louisiana is a state well known for its corruption in government since the days of Huey Long many years ago. The damage done by Katrina could’ve been minimized had the money allotted for strengthening the levies been used to do just that. And could anyone in the government, state or city, explain where it went? And here we are in the beginning of another hurricane season and nothing has been done to prevent the same catastrophe from happening again.

And what did the citizens of New Orleans do? They elected that same mayor who remarkably survived Katrina. The responsibility of the deaths of those who didn’t evacuate should not be blamed on the Federal Government. It was the responsibility of Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco to see that an attempt was made to move those people, whether they wanted to go or not, from harm’s way. They failed to take control of the situation, and now tax payer dollars from the Federal Government is being handed out to those who survived. What they should be getting is job applications so they can go to work and not depend on the government to support them. The state and local governments should not be in control of any money granted for the rebuilding or the cleanup nor for making the levies stronger. That’s been done, it didn’t work, and why throw good money after bad?

As for not having a means of escape. why didn’t someone go to the bus depot where thousands of school buses were parked and hotwire them for their escape to safety? Isn’t survival one of the strongest instincts in man? Or, with the amount of advance notice these people had, they could’ve walked or even hitch hiked away from the path of the storm. No, they took the way of most people on welfare. They waited for a government that wasn’t there for them.

The article written by Ms Underestimated on this might’ve been a bit strong, possibly because of her grief over the loss of a fellow officer, but her anger was understandable. If the man who killed him was already wanted for another murder, then why had he not been captured and tried? Was an incompetent police department even another weakness of the state and/or the city?

All of this could be argued back and forth for ages and probably will be, but the lesson learned from Step’s death and from Katrina is clear. The state and city governments need some work, and men and women of integrity to do it.

July 5th, 2006 at 11:05 pm

The loss of an officer like Stepnowski leaves a painful void in the hearts of the people who knew him best. We have all been diminished by his passing. He gave his life in the service of his fellow man.

July 5th, 2006 at 6:40 pm

I have been a Lawrenceville, GA Officer for almost 5 years. I am employed with several former Dekalb Officers who say that Step was a great guy and officer. As a member of the Honor Guard, I was present for Step’s funeral. It is hard on even those that did not know Step, because it could happen to any of us. God be with you Step, Kellie, Mr. & Mrs. Stepnowski and all friends and family.

America, remember you call upon us to protect your homes, businesses, and families. We place our lives in jeopardy everyday when we place that uniform on.

Remember Us!
Praise Us!
Honor Us!