A beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, Steven Patrick Francis Halsey of Sycamore, IL, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, March 27, 2021.

Steven was born on September 2nd, 1977 in Sycamore, Illinois to Francis "Frank" and Diana Halsey.

Steven was a very sensitive and caring soul. He inherited those sparkling blue eyes and contagious smile that would captivate all those who came in contact. Many may not have truly gotten to know him. He wanted to take care of those he loved. He sometimes had an unusual way of showing it. Whether you knew it or not, he was worrying about you and how to help you. He also loved to laugh. We had many good times with football parties, fourth of July fireworks, reciting movie lines and hanging out with friends.

Going back to his younger years, the best way to put it is that he was a handful. He went through many babysitters, many of which would say "I am sorry but he is too much for me." He was notorious for throwing spiders on his sister, teasing his younger sister by not allowing her to play his precious "Duck Hunt" game. This still remains a sore spot for her. A family outing involved Steven trapped in the car with his parents after their annual Christmas dinner at the Walnut Room in Chicago whereby; they ended up in Wisconsin because their dad "knew where he was going".

Everyone was at risk for his shenanigans. With his cousin, Jeremy, they became the dynamic duo from being escorted home by the police for taking pennies from the penny jar at Henderson's to buy candy to making him hold an apple so Steven could shoot it with a bb gun. That little endeavor ended with Steven digging the bb from Jeremy's hand. Not to mention the many scoldings they received from their grandfather, Walter Spears. Those two boys were always in trouble with him. They played crash derby with some cars their grandparents had at their house. However, even with all of his shenanigans he had his grandmother, Ruby Spears, wrapped around his finger. My grandmother had such a soft spot for him and vice versa.

He loved to hang out at his aunt's house (Karen Pennington) to spend time with his cousins Melanie and Jeremy and the various friends from the neighborhood. He and Josh would skip school and have fun at his aunt's house. Apparently, he once tried to trick Josh into drinking bleach which thankfully he was smart enough to realize what Steven was up to. You had to always be on guard not knowing what Steven was up to. Many good times were had during those years.

His older sister will  never forget the time he pushed her into the retention pond at their friend Ryan's house. He loved to mess with his sister's other best friend (Jennifer) always saying things to completely embarrass her. He never stopped either - this was his way of showing his admiration for her. His playfulness was one of his great attributes.

Then there were the times he had with his best friend, Josh Skinner. They would call the late night numbers at Josh's home racking up huge phone bills, took Josh's dad's corvette out for a joy ride and then there was the close encounter on the jet skis. Steve's sister and best friend (Tracy) were yelling, screaming with flailing arms to get out of the way because a BIG boat was heading right for them. This was a close call and ended with Josh flying off the jetski. They could not stop laughing but it was not nearly as funny for his sisters; that is until they knew their brothers were okay. There was the perfume and lotion fight they had with his sister's expensive moisturizer, then took off before she came home. Those two were truly the definition of best friend's. He never got over losing Josh in a car accident their senior year.

He lived with his older brother, Vince, for a while in Sycamore. I can only imagine the good times had in that apartment. This was a great bonding time for the two of them. His niece, Kaylynn, was born and he thought she was the most beautiful baby girl. Jesse was his first nephew, the two were very similar in that they were most often very quiet and shy.

Steven moved to Arizona in 2003, he was very happy in the desert. He worked hard and it showed. He and his ex-wife, Dina, built a couple of beautiful homes and had a number of furry kitties that they loved and adored. He loved his animals. He went as far as cheating at a carnival game in Kirkland to win his puppy, Snoop, that he thought he could hide in his room. When his cat, Bug, died in his arms he was devastated. Bug and Gracie were so special to him. Gracie will miss running to her daddy when he would come through the door and immediately demand those tasty kitty treats.Gracie has been his "baby" that has been through many moves, travels, hotel room stays and retreats with his friend, Carla, in Arizona.

When his nephew, Jake, was born that sealed the deal for him to move back home. He wanted to take Jake sledding when it was 10 below which did not happen. He just wanted his nephew to have fun. He bought him his first pool and had to let Jake just play in it inside because it was too cold to fill with water. Then came Jenna, one night she sat there screaming at him (this girl has a set of lungs on her). Steve's girlfriend (Heather) had to swoop her up and she instantly loved Heather. It did help that she resembled her mom. Then the tables turned Jenna did not want to leave Steve's side. They napped together and he would grab his precious cat, Gracie, so Jenna could pet her. I think they became best buddies that day. He was teaching his older nephews, Jadon and Julian, to cook and clean. Steven loved to cook and was known for being a neat freak.

He had many friends in Arizona, many of which he was still in contact with when he came home to Illinois. Many of those friends have reached out to his family upon finding out of his passing. He left a footprint on so many hearts. Including his Rock Valley Culligan family, his former boss, Carl,  was more of a father figure to him. I attended his work Christmas party with him where he danced his pants off (literally) and played musical chairs. He had a great group of co-workers and spoke fondly of them all. This was true of all his co-workers - whether they were family, from Arizona or Illinois. He will never know how much he was truly loved.

Steven was an avid Bears fan. He would update his sister whenever the Bears made a trade or who they drafted. He loved to fish, play cards, and hit the casinos with his uncle (Pat). He was also part of a yearly golf outing with a family friend, Bob, who coincidentally was also a poker buddy. We can go way back to his baseball years where he was an amazing pitcher. He won an award for pitching a no-hitter. He would run into someone and say he was on my little league team.

There are so many people that he touched and so many crazy times had with family and friends.The family encourages everyone to share a special memory or two. We are positive there are many more stories of good times had with Steven

Steven is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents (Ruby and Walter Spears) and paternal grandparents (Frank J and Winifred Halsey), several aunts, an uncle, cousins and his best friend, Josh.

Steven is survived by his parents, Frank and Diana Halsey, an older brother, Vince (Kathy) Halsey, an older sister Janel (Dave) Van Vlerah, and a younger sister Ashley (Mike) Halsey.  His nieces; Kaylynn and Jenna, nephews; Jesse, Jadon, Julian and Jake; and two great nephews; Jacob and James. The first and true love of his life, Heather Tabor, and his very special cat, Gracie. Not to mention the numerous friends he had made over the years. He will be missed by many.

A memorial visitation will be on Saturday, April 10th from 3:00-6:00 PM at the  Butala Funeral Home and Crematory in Sycamore.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Steven Halsey Memorial fund, addressed to the Halsey family in care of Butala Funeral Home, 1405 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178.

To sign the online guest book, go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com