Steve Honeyman

For over 25 years I spent an occasional holiday and big family events with my best friend’s brother-in-law, Steve Honeyman. Steve was a nice guy who had a great sense of humor, loved to tell family stories, and spoke little of his work. I always knew he was an advocate and was involved in community organizing, but never heard much about the work that he did. 

Sadly, Steve (Stephen) passed away in September 2021. I had the honor of attending a memorial service for him in November and that is when I learned of Steve’s life and work.

The memorial was set up with COVID guidelines. It was outside in a tent. Blankets, gloves, individual tissues packets, hand sanitizer, and box lunches were provided to keep everyone safe as they got together to remember and pay tribute to Steve. As we sat in the cold, my heart was warmed by story after story of the amazing work Steve did and the altruistic life he lead. 

The stories from his family and close friends were beautiful and touching - the spontaneous stories told by people attending the memorial made the stories Steve’s family told come to life. Steve not only impacted people’s lives, but in some cases was the reason they were still alive. These stories will be with me forever. 

The list of organizations he started and was involved with is impressive, to say the least. The direct impact he made on the people he came in contact with was astonishing. 

Serendipitously, Steve’s memorial was the same week we decided to take TRU Partnership to the next level and become an official not-for-profit. In Steve’s death, I was given the gift of hearing all about how one person truly can make a difference. I was given the opportunity to meet people TRU Partnership is likely to collaborate with in the future. 

From Steve’s life, we were gifted with inspiration to work even harder so that TRU Partnership impacts the community in a way that would make Steve proud. From Steve’s memorial service, we were gifted with blankets, gloves, tissues, hand sanitizer, box lunches, and centerpieces that we distributed to those in need. One of the people who received a centerpiece was a young man who lives under the Ben Franklin Bridge. He saw the flowers and asked if he could have one to give to his mother because she has always tried to help him. I think Steve would have liked that.

Steve will always be an example and an inspiration.