Steve Meltzer

Steve Meltzer

- - Steve Meltzer, ardent blues fan, lover of barbecue and chocolate chip cookies, movie trivia master and all-around good guy, died March 1. The cause was pancreatic cancer. He was 75.

Born Feb. 24, 1944, in swampy, sultry Miami, Florida, Steve experienced life without air-conditioning and teeming with tenacious palmetto bugs and mosquitos. Growing up in this quagmire left an indelible impression.

As an adult, he didn't like to sweat, abhorred insects and preferred enjoying the natural world from a climate-controlled car or home.

After a few fun but unproductive years as a University of Florida engineering student, he realized the country would be safer with someone else building its bridges. History was his passion.

He graduated from University of Miami in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science and from Florida Atlantic University in 1974 with a master's degree in education.

In the early '70s, he worked for the Palm Beach County, Florida, school system helping black and white students, all dropouts during the turbulent years of integration, re-enter the classroom or start vocational training.

He spent most of his career in government, working for the Arizona Department of Economic Security and the Social Security Administration in Florida and Arizona.

Steve possessed a dry sense of humor, a love of steam-powered trains and an aging guitar he longed to play like Eric Clapton, which, despite his best efforts, didn't happen. He also possessed an unfailing sense of fairness, forged by his background and experience.

He was the son of a Russian-born father whose own father fled the aftermath of the 1917 Revolution and worked as a tailor in the United States to bring his family here. Steve believed in the dignity of those seeking safety and opportunity in this country.

Growing up, he watched black children bused by his whites-only school in segregated Miami. That experience transformed him into a dedicated civil rights supporter. He also championed opportunities for women, not just in words but in actions, moving from one sweltering, bug-infested state to another in support of his wife's career.

After a lifetime in relentlessly sunny states, Steve wanted to live, as he described it, "where people actually experience weather." He found the perfect climate -- meteorologically and politically -- in Asheville. He loved the area for its wide-ranging music, creative vibe and progressive politics. And, yes, its ever-changing weather. Until he became ill, Steve volunteered at the Weaverville Public Library and with RiverLink.

A self-described neat freak, he leaves his wife of 44 years, Liz Doup of Weaverville, with a garage full of cleaning supplies and an astonishing number of replacement bags for four vacuum cleaners. As she attempts to match his cleaning and organizational skills, she can reflect on a lifetime of early morning ocean swims, late-night pizza runs and an untold number of rock concerts.

Steve is survived by his sister, Beverly (Larry) Gowdish of Bonita Springs, Florida; sister-in-law Nancy Reed (Tom); and brother-in-law Mark (Donna) Doup, all of Columbus, Indiana. Also: seven nieces and nephews and 11 grandnieces and grandnephews.

Those wishing to honor Steve can celebrate his life in ways meaningful to them. For those who want to contribute to his favorite charities, MANNA FoodBank and Appalachian Bear Rescue top the list of organizations he supported. Also: Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and RiverLink because Steve understood the importance of protecting wild places even if he didn't want to hike through them.

Much gratitude to many for countless acts of kindness. Most important, heartfelt thanks for a steady dose of the world's best medicine: laughter and love.