John Steven Secrest

John Steven Secrest was born in Houston, Texas, on May 20, 1955, to Mildred and Jack Secrest. Being originally from Arkansas, and therefore not given to elaborate displays of excessiveness, his parents soon dropped the better part of his first two names and John Steven became, well, Steve from then on.
Steve graduated from Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas, and went on to study Radio and TV at Stephen F Austin State University. Steve’s studies were woefully insufficient to completely hold his attention once it was drawn to the vivacious Julianne Hensley, herself another victim of merciless family name truncation who we all know and love as Julie. Despite this incredible and irresistible distraction, Steve was somehow able to focus enough attention on his studies to receive his Bachelor’s of Science in 1977.
The truncated couple soon realized that they had followed different paths to the same point from their very birth. The two were born one day apart at hospitals in Houston across the street from one another. Little surprise that hearts that began in such close proximity would somehow find each other and unite, the formalization of this union culminating on their wedding day in Pasadena on June 23rd, 1978.
The first of their two beautiful children, Lindsay Anne, came into their lives in 1980. Lindsay was followed in short order (no comment on her diminutive stature) by Jaclyn Anne, born the very next year. The Secrest’s had somehow staved off the family’s name-shortening tendencies with Lindsay, but Jaclyn became Jackie in spite of their best efforts. They could only hold out so long, and as Steve would have said, same difference.
Through the years of growing this beautiful family, the couple remained joined, a solid unit of family bedrock for children and grandchildren to build their lives upon.
Steve harbored a special affinity for the sport of fishing. Fish, he once said, trembled at the very mention of his name, and it was a family legend that his appearance on the water’s edge was a signal to fish populations to prepare to hypnotically pursue his bait. He filled buckets with largemouth bass, and many a time his enthusiasm well outlasted the patience of his human companions.
Steve also enjoyed dove hunting, but it was also a legend that doves would sit outside his home all summer long and taunt him until opening day of the season, whereupon they would fly to where he was hunting and dive and swoop, evading his best efforts to bag them. His game bag was never as full as his level of enthusiasm.
Steve tried most of his adult life to master the game of golf, and golf tried equally hard to master him back. Mulligans were his best friend. Steve hit some beautiful shots, and a few of them even went into the general area of his intention. And each game, as his frustration built to levels hazardous to lives and property, the game would afford him one incredibly beautiful shot that would land him within an easy stroke of a birdie or an eagle.
I wouldn’t want to say what would usually happen next. But regardless of the number on his scorecard, Steve would always plan the next round as he left the course in either triumph or despair.
Steve was taken from our midst on Monday, May 10, 2021, after a brief but devastating battle with Covid-19 exacerbated by some longstanding health issues that he had coped with for years. He is survived by his wife, brother Stan Secrest and sister-in-law Gail, two daughters, sons in law BJ Blair and Kent Allee, grandsons Ty, Drew, and Luke Blair, and Tripp Allee. He was loved by many and his love for all his family was deep, vast and powerful. He can’t be replaced, and we will miss him forever.