Seth Jacobs
It's so sad to hear that Steve passed at such a young age!
I didn't know him all that well, but we were both classmates studying classical guitar at Brookhaven College in the late 80s and early 90s. Back then he would show up every Wednesday afternoon for (our guitar teacher) Carlo Pezzimenti's Guitar Ensemble class. The students would all take turns performing guitar pieces we were working on, and Carlo would give us instruction on how to improve or better interpret the music. It was a wonderful experience discovering tons of beautiful music on incredibly rich-sounding guitars. I remember Steve would always show up straight from Hughes & Luce in his dark business suit with his black canvas guitar case strapped over his shoulder. Sometimes he would bring his briefcase and review legal documents right there in the little school desk while other students took their turn and performed. I vividly remember watching him strike through offending paragraphs with a big diagonal swipe of his ballpoint pen. Again I didn't know him very well, but his choice in guitar pieces revealed that he was a very a deep sensitive guy, a romantic even. A couple of the pieces I remember him performing were Torija (Elegia) by Torroba, and the Bach Prelude from the 1st Cello Suite.
You could tell how deeply he loved and respected the music by how exacting and deliberate he was in his performance.
In casual conversation he had a very funny, sort of wry sense of humor that he typically led with, yet he wouldn't hesitate to offer up a really heartfelt compliment or encouragement of your performance.
I'm sure the demands of his career, starting and raising a family drastically limited the amount of time he could spend playing guitar but I do hope he kept playing occasionally to touch base with that part of himself that loved making music.
Rest in peace Steve
You live on in the memories of the living! :)