By all accounts, Steve had been straight for "four or five months" until the Thursday before his death. One friend said Steve came to his house that Friday a bit high with two other men and told him twice in less than 10 minutes that he needed to talk. The friend said at the time it didn’t seem urgent and failed to pursue it any further.
On Saturday, Steve worked a flea market with his dad, who later said when his only son left he somehow knew it would be their last moments together. "I watched him until he went out of sight."
That afternoon, those who saw him say Steve arrived "sideways" at a house being renovated by some acquaintances. At some point, they say, he passed out in the front yard and was being taken inside before being left alone while the others reportedly went to a bar. When they returned, Steve was dead and his war was over. The cause of death has not been determined. But there is little doubt substance abuse played some part.
Some of those who gathered in the Upper East Tennessee cemetery the day of his funeral are likely fighting the same war. Gathering around the gravesite, they took on the appearance of walking wounded returning from battle.
Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders suggested Tuesday that legalizing drugs could help make America’s streets safer. Responding to questions at a National Press Club luncheon after a speech decrying violence, Elders said 60 percent of violent crimes are drug- or alcohol-related.
"Many times they’re robbing, stealing and all these things to get money to buy drugs," she said. "I do feel that we would markedly reduce our crime rate if drugs were legalized."
Buzz is a married father of two, managing editor for print/online at The (Maryville, TN) Daily Times and pastors Green Meadow United Methodist Church in Alcoa, TN. He is a 1981 graduate of East Tennessee State University, where he is a member of the Mass Communications Department Hall of Fame.
Inside you will find a collection of columns penned by Buzz on topics ranging from the death of Rich Mullins, to his battle with Hepatitis C, to asking the question, "Does God have a sense of humor."
Buzz talks with those who, as the late Larry Norman would say, "rock the flock." His interviews range from members of Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys, Jars of Clay and Third Day, to David Crowder and more.
Follow Buzz as he travels with Vine International on two different medical misison trips to Guatemala, as well as one with Volunteer Medical Mission. In 1999, he also went to Estonia with a Volunteers in Mission team.
Blog: Gathering Wool
Blog: The Pastor's Buzz