Thanks from Steve Young's ex and son.

Firstly, hello! Most of you don’t know me, but I’m Tracey, Steve’s “ex”. Well, I’m his ex in some ways, but, regardless of history, he was still my friend. So maybe “I’m Haydn’s Mum” would be a better start. Anyway, Steve was Haydn’s Dad AND my friend!

I am, above all else, highly privileged to have known Steve as well as I did. For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to meet him, he was in person exactly as he sounded … honest, clever, funny (ok that might be pushing it with the bad jokes), witty, loving, kind, caring, considerate ….. there are just so many words! The posts that you have all sent have been utterly inspiring. From the long, intimate descriptions of meetings and memories some of you shared, down to the simple “I didn’t know him, but somehow he touched me”, or just “condolences”. Each and every single one of them mean something!

When Julie told me that someone from the Flypast forum had arranged to have all these messages for Steve printed out and bound I was very moved (actually, blubbed like a baby is more accurate). She told me that there were going to be three bound copies of these momentos; one for her (Jules and her kids), one for Pat and John (Steve’s parents) and one for Haydn.

When Julie handed me the …. Books? … Posts? …. Tributes? …Whatever you choose to call them – my first comment was “but I’ve got two here”. That’s because there were two thick bound folders with Steve smiling at us from the covers. When she told me that, in fact, what I held in my arms was just one copy, I realised just how many people he had touched in so many ways. I didn’t know just how important his presence on this planet had been overall until then. I know how important he was to Haydn (obviously), but I didn’t realise how much of a truly astonishing person he was!

He is still able to touch people that have never, and will never, meet him – how many of us can, or will ever be able to say that?!?!?

The posts/books/tributes that you have all contributed to are an absolute treasure, and I’m sure, in the future, Haydn will look at them with the fondness, pride and smiles they deserve.

At the moment, Haydn’s just happy! He’s happy because he believes his Dad is still with him, he’s happy because he’s young, and he’s happy because he got to experience the most wonderful things. He’s happy because that’s the person that Steve made him! He’s just happy!! (He’s also extremely lucky to have had eight wonderful years with his Dad!)

There are so many things that I would like to say to you all. Not least of all THANK YOU, and that Haydn will go flying again some day!

I’ll leave you now before I bore you all to pieces. But just a few final words first. (Yeah, I know, you’ve had enough already!!)

We thought we ought to give Steve a bit of a “happier send-off” in a few months at the Aviator pub in St Ives (the one that he was researching, like you didn’t know that already). The first date that we came across that meant anything universally was 11 November. As you all know, he was an avid poppy appeal supporter and passionate about veterans in general so it seemed pretty fitting.

Please take this as an open invitation for as many of you who wish to – please come along and join in. I will send a post nearer to the time with address / directions / time etc. Hopefully by then, the wounds will be less raw, and we can all have a pint on his behalf with smiles on our faces rather than tears in our eyes.

To every person that took the time to note your interest on that forum, please take these words as thanks. No matter how few the words are, they all count. With your thoughts, stories and words Steve’s memory, and Haydn’s legacy lives on.

Steve put it better than anyone – Life. Live it, love it. He sure did!