A resident of Morrisburg, for the past 35 years, Steve “Tub” Sayeau passed away peacefully at Winchester District Memorial Hospital on December 25, 2013.
Stephen Mark Sayeau was born April 10th, 1950, to his parents Arthur and Margaret “Peg” Sayeau (nee Poland). He was born and raised on Highway #2 west of Iroquois with his older siblings Pat, Jim and Emma Jean.
After his birth, Stephen was nicknamed “Tubby” by his sister Emma Jean. Big brother Jim would read to her “Tubby & Lulu Cartoons”, so she named him baby Tubby, a nickname that stuck for the rest of Steve’s days.
Steve attended the one room SS #4 Matilda School. The kids walked to school along Highway #2 before the 401 was completed, and would hang on to the guard rails when the transports went by. Steve attended Iroquois High School until 1967. Living on the river involved a lot of swimming in the summer and skating in the winter
Steve married Lorna Sullivan on September 23rd, 1967, and their first born, Sandra Lynn, arrived in 1968.
He worked at Caldwell Linen Mill for a short time, and also began an apprenticeship as a mechanic. Steve then attended St. Lawrence College in Cornwall and graduated in 1973, as an Electronic Technologist. His first job was with the Canadian Coast Guard at the Ottawa Airport.
In 1973, Steve and Lorna welcomed into the world Mark Lee, and in 1976, Lisa Jean.
In 1978, the family moved from Kemptville back to Morrisburg, and Steve began his journey with the Canadian Coast Guard, at the Prescott Base where he repaired and maintained communication and navigation equipment.
It was important to Steve, that Lorna stayed home to be a full-time Mom, and he worked very hard to make this happen.
In 1990, Steve became a grandfather with the arrival of Jeffery Robert Stephen, and then, in 1999, with Cristiano Anthony. Next came, Danica Jolie in 2006, and Thalia Hope in 2009. Last, but not least, Benjamin Mark was born in 2011.
Steve’s career with the Coast Guard lasted 30 years. He retired in 2003. He was well-respected in his field and made many friends. He and his co-workers were a tight-knit group.
Steve had a passion for reading and kept up-to-date on politics and current events. He was quick to jump on the World Wide Web in its infancy – this fed his love of reading and music and his thirst for knowledge.
Steve also loved his music. Among his favorites were the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He often quoted the Stones telling friends and family “You can’t always get what you want”, all in good fun, of course.
Steve loved his NASCAR Sundays, and he had some pretty interesting NASCAR gatherings and vacations with friends over the years.
Steve loved living close to the St. Lawrence River. A lot of time was spent at the Steward farm and on various boats over the years. He made many friends on both sides of the river.
A lover of animals, Steve had a few canine “best friends” over the years. A consistent past-time was to feed the birds and the squirrels in the backyard.
In his retirement, Steve put the finishing touches on his beloved garage. It was made complete with heat, a fridge, TV, computer, table and chairs and his scale model car garage. He enjoyed family, friends and neighbours stopping by to visit in his garage.
One of the traits that defined Steve was his sense of humour. He was able to find a laugh in just about any situation right up until the end. In the hospital, he continually amazed the doctors and nurses with his one-liners.
A kind-hearted and generous man, Steve was honest, sometimes to a fault! He was very intelligent and a conversationalist. He accepted people into his circle and his home as long as he received the same respect that he gave.
Steve is survived by his wife Lorna, his children Sandy (Anthony) Vogrig of Winchester, Mark (Tara) Sayeau of Chesterville and Lisa (Mark) Casselman of Williamsburg.
He was dear brother of Pat (Shirley) Sayeau of Cardinal, Jim (Louise) Sayeau of Cardinal and Emma Jean Sawatzky of Wiarton and brother-in-law Lee Sullivan of Ottawa.
Steve will be fondly remembered by grandchildren Jeff Winters, Cristiano Vogrig, Danica and Thalia Casselman and Benjamin Sayeau. He is also survived by nieces and nephews.
Friends called at the Marsden and McLaughlin Funeral Home, Williamsburg, on Sunday, December 29th, from 7-9 p.m. and Monday, December 30th from noon until time of the funeral service at 1 p.m., which was conducted by Father Anthony. Cremation followed.
Spring interment of cremated remains will be at Spruce Haven Cemetery in Brinston. Donations to Dundas County Hospice or Winchester Hospital would be gratefully acknowledged by the family.
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