Remembering Steve Howe

Family and friends celebrated Steve Howe's life tonight at a memorial service in Butler, Kentucky. Steve, a former disk jockey and play-by-play announcer at WFTM, died Sunday after a battle with cancer.

Loud.

Hardworking.

Dependable.

Loving.

Funny.

Those are some of the words that were used tonight to describe Steve. They all fit him.

Steve grew up in Maysville. His dad ran a grocery store on East Second Street next to Maysville Church of Christ. The family moved to Falmouth in the early 1960s and Steve graduated from Pendleton County High School.

His first radio job was at WDOC in Prestonsburg before he returned to his hometown.

Steve was a terrific DJ at WFTM in the 1970s. I won an album, "Pinball Wizard," on one of his contests. I still have it in my collection.

Steve was also an excellent play-by-play announcer. He was mentored by Don Stahl, as I later was.

When I was in high school, I used to sit near Steve's broadcast location when he called basketball games at The Fieldhouse. Fans of the visiting team sat on that side of the gym. A lot of nights that section would be empty. One night I got up enough courage to talk to him. I thought he was on a commercial break. I was wrong. He was still on the air. He wasn't too happy with me. Over these past 40 some years he always said he didn't remember that happening, but I never let him live it down. 

Steve would later do color commentary on some of my football broadcasts. He could calculate time of possession quicker than anyone I ever worked with.

Steve came back to WFTM in the 1990s and broadcast some girls' basketball games and worked some weekend shifts.

Steve loved his children, his grandchildren, the Pendleton County Wildcats and the Kentucky Wildcats. His favorite band was the Eagles.

One of his daughters recalled road trips to Maysville listening to the Eagles in the car.

One of our golf  buddies, Steve Perrin reminded me tonight about Steve's favorite saying on the golf course. Every time he hit a good shot and one of us would compliment him, Steve would say "It ain't in the hole yet."

Steve also loved to work. After he got out of radio, he worked in the vending business. His last day on the job was December 20. 

He will be missed.

Rest in peace, Steve.

Steve's obitituary.