Sunday, October 3, 2010

RIP My Friend (Steven Flint)



Steven Flint 
March 23, 1961 - October 1, 2010


I'm deeply saddened by the recent passing of my long time friend, Steven Flint. He lost a hard fought battle against cancer. Steven was not only a friend, but one of the very best anglers I've ever known. His skill at reading the water and his instinct for finding fish were incredible! Those of us who knew him gave him the informal nickname "MA" for master angler.

Steven was originally from Ohio where he was working for The Nature Conservancy when we first met. He was a tireless advocate for rivers and streams. Not only did he love to fish them, but he was very active in trying to clean them up and rid them of sources of pollution. Steven later moved to the Adirondacks of New York where he continued to work for The Nature Conservancy and also operate a fishing guide service. 




Over the years, I fished with Steven twice in Canada. He was also a guest in our home in Kentucky where I took him fishing on our local lakes. Most recently, I had the pleasure of spending a week at his home in the Adirondacks where he took me fishing on Lake Champlain as well as several other beautiful lakes. When he started his guide business he asked me to design, build, and maintain his website which I did for many years. I could write many, many paragraphs about Steven's accomplishments and activities, but I find this hard enough to complete.




Steven loved the outdoors, loved to fish, and had a way of understanding nature that I've rarely seen. He named his guide service Beyond the Banks. As of 8pm, October 1, 2010, Steven Flint has truly gone Beyond the Banks.

Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed.


15 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice way to honor your friend. I am sorry for your loss!

TexWisGirl said...

I'm very sorry for your loss. He sounds like a great person...

Anonymous said...

Truly well done piece on what sounds like one great all around guy. Sorry for your loss and you will fish with Steven again someday, I know for sure. Take care my blogging friend.

Joe said...

Sorry to hear about your friend. This is a nice tribute to him.

Dennis said...

Very Sorry to hear about your loss Brian...I hope Steve has found that there are adventures beyond imagine ahead for all of us.

The Hunter's Wife said...

So sorry to hear about your friend Brian. Cherished are the memories you've shared. Thoughts and prayers to you and Steven's family.

Stephen Olner said...

sorry for your loss, its allways sad to loose a very close friend

Marc said...

Sorry for the loss of your friend BJK. I'm happy that you were able to share many fine experiences with him and were able to call him a friend, the memories keep him alive.

heyBJK said...

Even though none of you knew Steven, I truly appreciate your kinds words! I'm grateful for the support. It will take some time for it to sink in that he really is gone.

Thank you for the kindness!

Anonymous said...

So very, very sorry Brian. We'll be thinkin' of ya over here and for Steven's family.

Tovar@AMindfulCarnivore said...

Sorry to hear of your friend's passing, Brian.

Michael Agneta said...

Very sorry for your loss. Steven seems like a great outdoorsman and even better friend.

heyBJK said...

Kari, Tovar, Mike:

Thank you for the condolences! It's appreciated!

LarryB said...

I know how sad a thing this was to share Brian. My childhood friend Marcel's passing last fall really shook me up too. Hard enough to make good friends in life,real tough to lose them too. Peace be with you and all who knew your buddy Steve.

Gorges Smythe said...

Sorry about the loss of your friend. Good ones are as scarce as hen's teeth.