On Saturday morning I looked at the Salt Spring Exchange newsletter that gets deposited into my email account and was shocked and then filled with sadness to read that Helicopter Steve died on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
I have thought in the days since about whether it would be
okay or not to write anything about him on here because I did not know him well. But I do recall at least one meaningful interaction with him that has stuck with me all these years later.
Of course this was a long time ago now, probably in 2010, so
I do not know the circumstances of his life in the present or in the years since I left the island.
On one of the days he came into the employment centre where I worked, he told me he was trying to decide whether to
continue to try and get helicopter assignments or not and it felt like a difficult decision. I could feel and hear that he was really struggling with it.
I believe, if I’m remembering correctly, one of his concerns was that he had some ethical issues about being the person to deposit people to mining projects and other projects that had environmental impacts. On the other side of the decision was his ability to make good money should he continue doing that work.
He did apply for the
job then, and he did go back to flying helicopters. I do not now how long
that lasted or where the work took him at that time but it did seem like a good
decision in terms of its financial impact on his life.
When I read what his sister and a friend wrote on the Exchange in separate postings, it was, as they described, his way of being, his openness and generous spirit, his childlike and philosophical nature, and his smile that were some of the qualities he had that stayed with me after I met him.
One time at Moby’s on a Saturday night all those years ago, I recall Tal Bachman and his band then (no Randy) playing and the dance floor was packed. I remember being near Steve, all his limbs swinging wildly, and I think he may have even had on rubber boots. In my memory, he almost looked like a helicopter in his movements. It was such a fun evening.
Here is what his sister wrote in the Salt Spring Exchange: https://saltspringexchange.com/list/good-bye-helicopter-steve-known-to-his-family-as-stephen-john-heskamp/
A friend of his wrote something as well: https://saltspringexchange.com/list/obituary-helicopter-steve-heskamp/
His celebration of life is at The Local on Sunday, Sept. 28 at noon, a corrected date from what was originally published.
I'm sure his island friends will have a lot of interesting memories, and definitely a few beers, to ease their sorrow a little bit.