Steven Whitfield

Steve is survived by his children, Allee Bitner, Axel Bitner, Megan Whitfield (Clint and Beckett) and Tyler Whitfield. His brother David Whitfield and sisters Rene Whitfield and Suzey Moore. His friend Shantel Bitner. He was preceded in death by his parents, Norma and Grady Whitfield. Wife, Sandy Whitfield. His brothers James and Michael Whitfield and his sister Marcee Blackerby.

He went by many names, Steven, Dad, Steve, cabbage head, and uncle Steve. He was everyone's favorite. He was raised in Holladay Utah alongside his six brothers and sisters. He was the youngest and he tagged along with his siblings whenever he could. He grew up close in age to his older brother James who instilled in him a love for music. He would watch his brother James play the drums and eventually he became good at the drums and the guitar. Growing up he was taught to share what you have with whoever asked for help. He took this to heart all his life and showed up for those he loved. Whether that was for a casual swim at his sisters, holidays, weddings, funerals or bringing food to family members who were struggling. He showed up in whatever way he was able to and would often stretch himself in order to help.

Since he was the youngest of his siblings he was the perfect babysitter for his nieces and nephews. He was always the fun uncle and ended up cementing a place in all of their hearts as more than just an uncle. As his nephew Ethan says, Steve was always with the kids, whether it was tying them to the clothes line pole using only their arms or betting on everything and anything. Who can eat this cake the fastest, who can throw this into that, video games to poker nights, softball to fishing, he did it all and we did it to the extreme. Once he bet Ethan’s son Camden a dollar for every coke he could drink at the restaurant. Camden went back to uncle Steve and got $10 bucks. Later that night Camden sat up in Steve’s bed and vomited 10 glasses of coke. All he said was WOW that was a lot of coke. He knew how to make even the smallest and simplest moments memorable. Every day things turned into something fun for everyone around him.

Steve was adventurous and curious which sometimes led to trouble and sometimes led to unforgettable adventures. One time in Maui after the kids had gone to bed he’d heard music in the distance. He and his wife's sister Janet walked across a golf course towards the music. They ended up walking right into a Willy Nelson concert. They sang and enjoyed the concert, all because he was curious and willing to take a long walk. Steve was an avid golfer and bowler. He excelled at both. There were very few sports he wasn’t good at. He did a bowling league and never missed a chance to take his kids or nieces or nephews bowling. He never let them win. He would golf a lot with his brother David, son Tyler and his two nephews Jesse and Ethan. Steve always had tips on how to improve your swing. It was always joyful to be around him. Life was never boring.

Steve had two kids in his late twenties and early thirties, Megan and Tyler. It was magical when he became a dad. He loved being a dad and it was never a chore for him. He would take his kids and his nieces and nephews up camping at Pete’s Hole. He would teach everyone how to fish and take all the kids out hiking. On the hike up he’d talk about bears and how common they were along the hiking trail. Show them some real and some fake signs that bears were in the area. Occasionally he’d say that he thought he’d heard something. Then when the hike was almost over he’d scream that there was a bear so that everyone started sprinting. There was no bear but he thought it was hilarious. He would always cook up a great dinner and get everyone set up with s’mores. At night in the tent he would read goosebump books until his kids fell asleep. When Steve was with his kids, it was all about his kids. He was entertaining them or teaching them something new. Steve loved to fish and he loved to fish early in the morning. The night before heading out to fish he’d water the lawn and then take the kids out back to find worms. They never found enough worms for the trip but it was always fun to see how many they could find. He would pack up the truck and at 4 am he’d put the kids in the back of the truck and start the drive to the fishing spot. He’d stop for worms and donuts on the way out of the city. He would fish for hours if he could. Steve loved the Utah Jazz when the kids were growing up. For most of the games Steve would make dinner, throw a blanket over the door that caused a glare and everyone would watch the game together. Although it was simple, it was something he loved and the kids loved. Steve was able to coach Tyler on his soccer and basketball teams growing up. He coached with passion and humor, his teams were always good. While in rec league soccer his teams would often out score the other team by a considerable margin. At one point the “Whitfield” rule was created. When the team was up by a certain amount the other team could add additional players to the field. Steve didn’t mind, he loved to win and he loved coaching kids. Steve thrived as a father and made all of his kids' friends feel welcomed. He would cook for them, give them advice and would always tease them. He made sure every kid knew they were safe at his house.

In his fifties he married Sandy. They relocated from Salt Lake to Castle Dale. He loved living in Castle Dale. The slower pace and ease of life down there was ideal for him. When he married Sandy they drove to Vegas and had Elvis marry them. He loved it. Living in Castle Dale life felt easy and Sandy was a great cook. He loved this season of his life. Steve has always been a lover of animals. He could not handle seeing an animal hurt or in danger. While living in Castle Dale he would feed the neighborhood cats and bring in any kittens he found. When he could he’d capture feral cats in the area and get them neutered and nurse them back to health and release them. They would always stay in the area and visit him. He would also rescue dogs from the local shelter. He didn’t care if they were old or young, he just wanted to save them.

After Sandy passed he continued to live in Castle Dale and encouraged his son Tyler to move down with him. Together they would continue living a quiet and easy life. Eventually he met Shantel and her daughter Allee. He would step back into the role of parent and help Shantel with Allee the best he could. He loved the experiences that came with raising a pre-teen. One of the trips he took with Shantel and Allee was horseback riding through a canyon and he would tell everyone he could about how cool it was and show the picture of him on the horse in the canyon. Steve loved to golf and he was thrilled when Allee showed interest. He would take her out and teach her how to golf and would eventually get a family golf pass. A few years later Shantel and Steve would have Axel. Axel reignited Steve’s light. He was made to be a dad to little kids and Axel brought him so much happiness. Steve loved music and would sing and dance with Axel in the kitchen every chance he’d get. Steve would share as many pictures as he could of Axel. It could be of him sleeping or standing on a chair playing air guitar. He was happy to have him around. Since Steve was retired he spent all of his time with Axel and Allee. He would take them out hiking, fishing and camping. They would often take the truck out and explore the area behind Ferron to find new camping spots. He loved being outdoors and he was loving his second chance at raising children. He had one grandbaby named Beckett, he was so happy to become a Grandpa. Every day he would check in on him and see how he was doing and ask for a picture. He loved having little kids in his life and made sure they knew they were loved.

Steve would say that he lived many lives throughout his life and each one came with its own challenges and joy. No matter the life he was busy living he made sure that those around them knew that he loved them and cared about them. He brought humor, laughter and joy into the lives of people that knew him. While his time was cut short he had an undeniable impact on his family.

No funeral services will be held. Arrangements are in the trusted care of Fausett Mortuaries where family and friends are always welcome and may share memories online at www.fausettmortuary.com.