A Personal Remembrance of Steve Kuhn

By Carol Jackson

Falls Church residents are in shock to learn that life long resident, Steve Kuhn, died suddenly at the age of 54, while playing his beloved full court basketball “hoops” game at the City’s Community Center this past Thursday night. Witnesses say he fell hard and never regained consciousness nor breath—it is safe to conclude he never knew what hit him.

Steve leaves his wife, Cynthia (Toots, as he fondly called her) and his two beloved daughters, Maggie, a 3rd yr med student at UVa, and Katie, successfully employed in merchandising management at the San Francisco HQ of Banana Republic. He was coach and mentor to hundreds of Falls Church kids who went thru our Rec League basketball programs. His passion for his kids, biological or otherwise, will identify him always to his friends and family and those who were the object of his affection and advice—both freely given to those he loved and believed in.

Steve had a dynamic career in commercial architecture and project development. He and “Tootie” brought back to life one of our City’s protected historic vernacular farm houses while it was home only to varmints and vagrants. He was a man always on the move—grass, weeds, paving stones and retaining walls never grew under his feet. He was forever busting up the next patch of “project” and organizing greatly energized work parties from his daughters’ unsuspecting friends to conquer the next big unclaimed territory on his property or “Christmas in April” site or whatever caught his attention.

His long loyalty to the mission of “training up children in the way they should go” as a Sunday School teacher to teens at St Peter’s Episcopal in Arlington will be a legacy for future generations in our community.

Rumor has it that when Frank’s closed this year and Steve could not get his Friday night tuna sandwich with a “cold one”, his heart was broken and he said life may not be worth living. For those of us left behind, we wish you would be here now to take back those cavalier words, Steve. It’s our lives that will be emptier for your departure to your next place where your passion will surely flourish.

For the staff at OAR, that belief in redemption is part of what keeps them going, year after year, in the face of resistance from both inmates and society, who still feel that change is just a vain hope.