The following was shared at Steve Abeyta's memorial
Steve was born in Brighton, Colorado on August 28, 1951, the 9th of 14
children, of Melaquias and Eleanor Abeyta. He grew up playing with siblings,
cousins, and neighbors in the field across the street from their house. They played
we baseball and football, and sometimes got into fights. He learned to work hard,
run fast, and become an excellent wrestler. Steve went to Brighton High School,
and placed at state in wrestling his junior year. After graduating from high school
in 1969, he attended CU Boulder, where his life-long love of the Buffaloes began.
He told us a lot of stories of his years in Boulder but one we like to remember is
that he was a very good pool player, and his winnings helped subsidize his
student-sized bank account. Steve graduated as a very proud Buff with a BA in
Sociology in 1976.
After graduation, Steve was unsure what line of work he wanted to go into,
until one of his professors, who worked part-time at an insurance company, offered
him a position as a claims adjuster. Steve continued in this field for the rest of his
career. He was a dedicated employee and worked for several companies, including
Traveler’s, St. Farm, Blue Cross, U.S. West, and AT&T, until he finished his career
at Archstone, a real estate investment trust, as Director of Risk and Claims.
In 1973, Steve married Margo Navarro, and in 1974 they welcomed their son
Juan. A few short years later in 1980, they had their beautiful daughter, Alysia
(Breezy). Later, in 1993, Steve met Beth Devine at Blue Cross, where they both
worked. They had their first son, Elijah in 1998 and in the same year, on October
10th, they got married. In 2001, they had their second son, Nathanael. Steve dearly
loved all his children, and was blessed with five grandchildren; Maia, Bella,
Charlie, David, and Evan, and two great-grandchildren; Aubriella and Adalina.
That’s the official account, but here are some of the wonderful things we remember
because of it. All of the sports events: Juano’s wrestling matches and tournaments,
Breezy’s softball games, Elijah’s baseball and football games, and Nathanael’s
skatepark adventures. At many of these events, Steve had to be censored/calmed
down by Beth. Steve and Beth were the designated babysitters: We had a pack of
kids at our house! In age order: Maia, Elijah, Esa, Charlie, Nathanael, David, and
Evan. And cousins Michael and Sam. The kids had so much fun swimming, having
Nerf gun fights, jumping on the trampoline, and camping.
Beth’s thoughts: I want to tell you about a beautiful testament of God’s
love and provision. When Steve was twenty-nine, he was diagnosed with kidney
failure and for many years, the only necessary treatment was blood pressure
medicine. But the inevitable decline happened, and in 2006 when his kidneys
finally failed, he immediately went on dialysis. We talked about the possibility of a
kidney transplant, because those who know understand that dialysis isn’t usually
someone's first choice for long term treatment. I shared the situation with my Bible
study friends, and asked them to pray for us. Immediately, Debbie Kooser said she
believed God wanted her to give Steve one of her kidneys. Although I knew
Debbie, she and Steve had never met, and we couldn’t believe she would make
such an offer. However, Steve wasn’t ready to consider a transplant, and continued
on dialysis for three more years. He did peritoneal dialysis at home, and was still
able to work full time and travel while doing this. His nephrologist encouraged him
to consider a transplant because the quality of life is so much better with a
functioning kidney than on dialysis. Apparently, the Lord agreed with that
assessment. Steve had a series of infections which caused scar tissue to build up,
making the peritoneal dialysis ineffective. We were back to where we were three
years prior: hemodialysis vs. a transplant. I messaged my prayer partners again,
asking them to pray for wisdom and guidance. Debbie Kooser called again, she still
believed the Lord wanted her to give Steve a kidney. So on July 16, 2010, Steve
and Debbie underwent the transplant process at Porter Hospital. Her gift allowed
Steve to have a much higher quality of life than dialysis offered and we are forever
grateful for her and her blessing.
Steve’s story wouldn’t be complete without knowing about the last years of
his life. In 2014, he fell from the roof which caused permanent nerve damage and
resulted in chronic, debilitating pain. He took over 20 medications daily; it always
seemed like he was being prescribed a new medication for something, and another
medication for the side-effects of the last medication. This was very frustrating and
painful for him, because they didn’t stop the pain, but all this is said to emphasize
his faith in God. No matter what new medication or pain that he had, he still knew
and said that God was good.
Breezy’s thoughts: One of my favorite memories of Dad is that he wouldn’t
let me out of the house if I was wrinkled. He ironed everything!
Nathanael’s thoughts: My dad lived a long life filled with the people he
loved and the things he loved to do. He really enjoyed fishing and watching
football and while you might not believe it in the moment, he enjoyed going
camping with my mom because he knew it made her happy. He was very interested
in his family and would do extensive research on his relatives and ancestors, even
dating back to the 1700’s. He also really enjoyed New Mexican culture and loved
finding authentic New Mexican recipes online and cooking them. One of the
hobbies that my dad was the best at and seemed to enjoy the most was Craigslist,
he was a master buyer and seller when it came to Craigslist, especially when it
came to the negotiating part. Overall, one of my dad's favorite things to do was to
just be home with his family.
I will always remember how he loved my mom. He would always brag about her to
anyone he could, “did you know Beth got her masters degree?”, he tells the nurses
in the hospital. For years, he woke up at 6:15 every morning and made breakfast
for my mom so it was one less thing that she had to worry about. Even in the
winter, on the days where his pain was so bad he could barely walk, you’d look out
the window and see him warming up my mom's car and scraping the ice off the
windows. The one word that best describes my dad is loving.
Final thoughts: The most important thing about Steve is that he loved the
Lord. His Savior was Jesus Christ, and he was never shy about telling people about
Him. He might not have been able to get out much due to his pain, but that didn’t
stop him from sharing the Gospel. We called it his “phone ministry.” There are
probably a lot of people here today who were on the receiving end of a phone call
where he shared his story and told about God’s goodness, even during the last
painful years of his life on earth. He would tell you don’t wait, Jesus loves you and
wants to be your Savior too. You just have to ask.
children, of Melaquias and Eleanor Abeyta. He grew up playing with siblings,
cousins, and neighbors in the field across the street from their house. They played
we baseball and football, and sometimes got into fights. He learned to work hard,
run fast, and become an excellent wrestler. Steve went to Brighton High School,
and placed at state in wrestling his junior year. After graduating from high school
in 1969, he attended CU Boulder, where his life-long love of the Buffaloes began.
He told us a lot of stories of his years in Boulder but one we like to remember is
that he was a very good pool player, and his winnings helped subsidize his
student-sized bank account. Steve graduated as a very proud Buff with a BA in
Sociology in 1976.
After graduation, Steve was unsure what line of work he wanted to go into,
until one of his professors, who worked part-time at an insurance company, offered
him a position as a claims adjuster. Steve continued in this field for the rest of his
career. He was a dedicated employee and worked for several companies, including
Traveler’s, St. Farm, Blue Cross, U.S. West, and AT&T, until he finished his career
at Archstone, a real estate investment trust, as Director of Risk and Claims.
In 1973, Steve married Margo Navarro, and in 1974 they welcomed their son
Juan. A few short years later in 1980, they had their beautiful daughter, Alysia
(Breezy). Later, in 1993, Steve met Beth Devine at Blue Cross, where they both
worked. They had their first son, Elijah in 1998 and in the same year, on October
10th, they got married. In 2001, they had their second son, Nathanael. Steve dearly
loved all his children, and was blessed with five grandchildren; Maia, Bella,
Charlie, David, and Evan, and two great-grandchildren; Aubriella and Adalina.
That’s the official account, but here are some of the wonderful things we remember
because of it. All of the sports events: Juano’s wrestling matches and tournaments,
Breezy’s softball games, Elijah’s baseball and football games, and Nathanael’s
skatepark adventures. At many of these events, Steve had to be censored/calmed
down by Beth. Steve and Beth were the designated babysitters: We had a pack of
kids at our house! In age order: Maia, Elijah, Esa, Charlie, Nathanael, David, and
Evan. And cousins Michael and Sam. The kids had so much fun swimming, having
Nerf gun fights, jumping on the trampoline, and camping.
Beth’s thoughts: I want to tell you about a beautiful testament of God’s
love and provision. When Steve was twenty-nine, he was diagnosed with kidney
failure and for many years, the only necessary treatment was blood pressure
medicine. But the inevitable decline happened, and in 2006 when his kidneys
finally failed, he immediately went on dialysis. We talked about the possibility of a
kidney transplant, because those who know understand that dialysis isn’t usually
someone's first choice for long term treatment. I shared the situation with my Bible
study friends, and asked them to pray for us. Immediately, Debbie Kooser said she
believed God wanted her to give Steve one of her kidneys. Although I knew
Debbie, she and Steve had never met, and we couldn’t believe she would make
such an offer. However, Steve wasn’t ready to consider a transplant, and continued
on dialysis for three more years. He did peritoneal dialysis at home, and was still
able to work full time and travel while doing this. His nephrologist encouraged him
to consider a transplant because the quality of life is so much better with a
functioning kidney than on dialysis. Apparently, the Lord agreed with that
assessment. Steve had a series of infections which caused scar tissue to build up,
making the peritoneal dialysis ineffective. We were back to where we were three
years prior: hemodialysis vs. a transplant. I messaged my prayer partners again,
asking them to pray for wisdom and guidance. Debbie Kooser called again, she still
believed the Lord wanted her to give Steve a kidney. So on July 16, 2010, Steve
and Debbie underwent the transplant process at Porter Hospital. Her gift allowed
Steve to have a much higher quality of life than dialysis offered and we are forever
grateful for her and her blessing.
Steve’s story wouldn’t be complete without knowing about the last years of
his life. In 2014, he fell from the roof which caused permanent nerve damage and
resulted in chronic, debilitating pain. He took over 20 medications daily; it always
seemed like he was being prescribed a new medication for something, and another
medication for the side-effects of the last medication. This was very frustrating and
painful for him, because they didn’t stop the pain, but all this is said to emphasize
his faith in God. No matter what new medication or pain that he had, he still knew
and said that God was good.
Breezy’s thoughts: One of my favorite memories of Dad is that he wouldn’t
let me out of the house if I was wrinkled. He ironed everything!
Nathanael’s thoughts: My dad lived a long life filled with the people he
loved and the things he loved to do. He really enjoyed fishing and watching
football and while you might not believe it in the moment, he enjoyed going
camping with my mom because he knew it made her happy. He was very interested
in his family and would do extensive research on his relatives and ancestors, even
dating back to the 1700’s. He also really enjoyed New Mexican culture and loved
finding authentic New Mexican recipes online and cooking them. One of the
hobbies that my dad was the best at and seemed to enjoy the most was Craigslist,
he was a master buyer and seller when it came to Craigslist, especially when it
came to the negotiating part. Overall, one of my dad's favorite things to do was to
just be home with his family.
I will always remember how he loved my mom. He would always brag about her to
anyone he could, “did you know Beth got her masters degree?”, he tells the nurses
in the hospital. For years, he woke up at 6:15 every morning and made breakfast
for my mom so it was one less thing that she had to worry about. Even in the
winter, on the days where his pain was so bad he could barely walk, you’d look out
the window and see him warming up my mom's car and scraping the ice off the
windows. The one word that best describes my dad is loving.
Final thoughts: The most important thing about Steve is that he loved the
Lord. His Savior was Jesus Christ, and he was never shy about telling people about
Him. He might not have been able to get out much due to his pain, but that didn’t
stop him from sharing the Gospel. We called it his “phone ministry.” There are
probably a lot of people here today who were on the receiving end of a phone call
where he shared his story and told about God’s goodness, even during the last
painful years of his life on earth. He would tell you don’t wait, Jesus loves you and
wants to be your Savior too. You just have to ask.
