Check your settings when you are happy with your print preview press the print icon below.
Show Obituaries Show Guestbook Show Photos QR Code
Stephen Blaine BURROWS
March 28, 1967 - January 14, 2014
Share your Memorial with Family & Friends
Stephen Blaine Burrows, 46, of Victoria, British Columbia, died in the early morning of Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at Royal Jubilee Hospital following a short fight with cancer. He leaves behind a wife, a son and a daughter.
Steve was born on March 28, 1967 in Long Beach, California to Linda May (née Spurgeon) and Stephen Paul Sauer. He grew up in San Clemente and attended school at Concordia, Shorecliffs and SCHS and Saddleback.
Steve loved nature and the outdoors—the ocean above all. He was an avid surfer, having ridden waves at every beach in the San Clemente area from Boneyard to Trestles. When the water was too cold, he was known to skimboard down the shoreline. Steve was also passionate about sailing, one of his favorite places having been Dana Point Harbor. Steve gathered so much enjoyment from his hobby of repairing and optimizing wooden boats that he made it his profession for a number of years.
Steve also cared about the creatures of nature and they returned his love in the form of trust. If he did not have an animal at his side at the moment, either a bird, rat, cat, dog, snake or even fish, he was talking about one that he had recently cared for or rescued. It is easy to see why Steve was a proficient animal groomer for many years, able to comfort dogs and cats when others could not.
It is impossible to talk about Steve without mentioning his greatest passion of all: guitar. His innermost being spilled music, and he could go off for hours playing any form of hard rock, taking diverse influences from classical music, as well as blues and classical Spanish guitar, which he played most beautifully and masterfully.
As a teacher, Steve was patient and kind; as a learner he was self-motivated by his own curiosity, quickly moving beyond his need for a teacher. Throughout his life, he placed importance on continually expanding his knowledge into new directions by reading. Steve possessed unique insights into his personal interests, which follow the common thread of design, shape and form, for example the aerodynamics of sailboat hulls, the intricacies of music theory and the mechanical optimization of tube amplifiers.
Steve also knew how to enjoy moments of stillness, whether it was lounging at the Fisherman’s on the San Clemente pier, watching the sun set and listening to the waves, or spending time in conversation with sincere interest in others. Steve had an honest and forgiving heart and he was easy-going and easy to be around because he treated others respectfully as equals. Steve also had a very funny sense of humor that will be profoundly missed.
In addition to his immediate family, Steve is survived by one son and one daughter from a previous marriage; one brother; and two step-sisters. Steve was predeceased by his father and mother. In accordance with his wishes, Steve was cremated and his ashes returned to the sea in a private ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, if desired, a donation may be sent to…
The family expresses gratitude to the staff at Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria Hospice for their kind treatment of Steve in his last days.