Stephen Alan Larivee

Stephen Alan Larivee

Reno - After a brave, 15-year battle with Parkinson's Disease, Stephen Alan Larivee passed away September 16th, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by loved ones. It was a full life.

Steve was born March 13th, 1943, in Lowell, MA. This is where his "sweet tooth" got its start as he and his brother Ron swept the floors of their Aunt Peg's corner grocery store and consistently raided the penny candy counter. In 1954 the family moved to Oceanside, CA, where he attended grammar school and Oceanside High School. While growing up, Steve was a spirited participant in 2-person beach volleyball and entered many tournaments around Oceanside and in Mission Bay. He enrolled at San Diego State University and earned a Masters of Art in History.

Steve worked 26 years in the Grossmont Union High School District. He rose the ranks as a teacher, counselor, vice principal and finally, principal. He enjoyed attending all the student activities and, of course, the staff volleyball league.

Steve and his wife, Ann, always enjoyed the Rocky Mountains and purchased a piece of land outside Telluride, CO, with the goal of making it their retirement home. Steve accepted a principal position at Telluride Middle/High School and was there from 1994-2003. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2003 and decided to retire.

The initial stages of Parkinson's did not slow him down. He was an annual volunteer for the Telluride Film Festival and was also the president of the board of directors for the Telluride Historical Museum from 2003-2006. Under his direction and charm, the board raised several hundred thousand dollars to completely remodel the museum.

In 2006, they moved to Ridgway, CO, where he and Ann built their dream home on 7 acres with a jaw dropping view of the San Juan Mountain Range. He was proud to mention these were the same mountains Coors Light chose for their iconic label. He remained active and loved traveling, skiing, backpacking, tennis and golf (2 holes in one!) Much time was spent with his horse Cimarron, a Tennessee Walker. He was passionate about live music, the cinema and rooting for the San Diego Chargers and Boston Celtics. While in Ridgway, he also served on the school board from 2009-2015.

In early 2015, Steve and Ann relocated to Reno, NV, to be closer to family. He became active in a Parkinson's support group and loved bowling, swimming and playing poker with his new-found friends. He was also a regular at many local frozen yogurt establishments and, in his mind, there was never a bad day to have a treat.

After Steve's passing, Ann was flooded with well wishes from past students and faculty. Here are two we'd like to share. "Steve was a pillar of knowledge, strength, fairness and balance. He knew exactly how to command each situation/interaction to ensure all parties felt heard, understood and appreciated. He was a special soul, with an amazing heart. Both you and Steve were so instrumental in the success of my high school career. I know I can thank you both for the successes I have in life today." And, "You know that person who enters your life and challenges you in all the right ways? For me, Steve Larivee came in to my world when I was a righteous, adversarial, and self-destructive adolescent. He challenged me and gave me second, third and even fourth chances because he needed to keep challenging me to see the value in myself that I can only assume he saw."

Steve is survived by his wife Ann of Reno, NV; daughter Kristine (Matt) Parker and granddaughters Melissa and Stefanie; daughter Desiree (Dereck) Bowlen and grandchildren Molly, Annika, Marina and Brock; brother Col (Ret) USAF Ronald L. Larivee (Christy.)

There will be a Celebration of Life in Reno, NV, on November 10th, 2018.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research PO Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD, 21741 Or call the foundation directly at 800-708-7644