It's with heavy hearts that we announce Stephen Valk of Imperial Beach and Fallbrook passed away peacefully at the age of 73 after a courageous fight with cancer.  Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Jerome and Agnes, his brother Bruce, and their sister Karen. He is survived by his sister Kristina, his daughter Cassandra, his life partner Shar Larsen, Shar's children Amy, Chris, and Aaron, and Cassandra's mother, Carolyn Valk.

Steve was a longtime resident of Fallbrook where he spent the last 36 years with Shar and her children.  Never without flaws and challenges, his heart was always in the right place.  He endeavored to be a good male role model as a father figure in his later years – especially for Chris and Aaron – which has carried with them today as they raise their own children and stepchildren.  He certainly left a lasting imprint on Shar's life and heart.

He was a regular at the Fallbrook baseball fields where he coached for the Fallbrook Youth Baseball including coaching Chris and Aaron, and many others whose lives he impacted by imparting lessons in competition, accountability, and giving their best always.  Aaron eventually went on to play in the minor leagues for the Oakland A's and is the head baseball coach in Georgia .  Never being shy of ensuring the fields were perfect, he kept the fields meticulously maintained.  He was a big Padres and Chargers fan, always looking forward to watching games.

During his working years, Steve enjoyed fishing, often frequenting the various sportfishing outfits in San Diego like Seaforth and H&M.  Perhaps his best fishing was done in Alaska on various work trips, bringing home a standing freezer-worth of halibut and salmon (halibut nuggets please!), and amazing pictures of the icebergs!  He was an accomplished chef in his own right, always cooking and was a grill master of the yummiest food!

After retirement, Steve was an avid gardener, where he grew all sorts of vegetables and other plants – he had the greenest thumb.  If you were fortunate enough to eat one of his tomatoes, you'd know!  He was an early riser who enjoyed sitting in his backyard watching the sun come up and admiring its magnificent red, orange and yellow hues through the palm trees.  That was his special time of the day.  During the rest of his day, his time was spent trading life skills, construction tips, gardening expertise and the organic crops with all of his neighbors and community.  He was very proud to be able to assist and feed the entire neighborhood with nothing but his best.

Steve grew up in a military family and primarily lived in Imperial Beach as a child and young adult where you could find him surfing in the mornings before school.  He was a star athlete at Mar Vista High School setting school track records that are still held today.  He was also the ASB president his senior year.  His brother Bruce, and sisters Karen and Kristina, also attended Mar Vista.    He had many close friends who he still called friends up until the last days of his illness.  Mike Weaver of Imperial Beach was his best friend going back to their early childhoods.

After high school, he did a stint in New York to learn the drywall taping trade from his uncle, and returned to Imperial Beach to go to work where he called home.  He eventually married Carolyn Bottoms – sister of Charlie and Nina Bottoms of Imperial Beach - and they had a daughter, Cassandra, who he said was the best thing he ever accomplished in his life.  Being an elite drywall taper, he was part of the esteemed team in San Diego that set a Guinness Book of World records for the fastest house built in 1983.

He lived to hear his daughter Cassandra's work stories, always so proud of her accomplishments from the time she was a child – he was her biggest fan.  He was always engaged with her sports teams, coaching, and in every way possible, ensured she had the very best equipment to be able to play.  He did this in part by being at work by 4AM just so he could leave in the afternoons to be at every game.  Always her life coach, he was never without opinions and made sure that she never, ever took shi*t from anyone.  "Hey kid, you did real good."  Thanks, Dad, I'll forever hear you say that.

May you be planting and tending an amazing garden in Heaven. You are missed and loved by many.  We love you.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your local girls' and boys' athletic teams, and related organizations, in order to help children reach their full potential playing sports.