I feel kind of bad in that I didn’t even know Steve Westmoreland was sick. He had suffered from lung cancer apparently for two years. I had seen him several times during that span, but he never mentioned his disease. But, looking back, that was pretty typical of Steve.

“No matter how much you thought about Steve, he cared a lot more about you than you cared about him,” somebody said during his funeral Friday night.

Steve Westmoreland lost his battle with lung cancer, passing away April 6. But in his brief 57 years of life, he won many other battles.

I first met Steve several years ago. He was active with the Easley Booster Club and the Big League World Series. For the Big League World Series, he was in charged of the press for the event for a while.

Every time I met him, his attitude was, “What can I do to help you?” Trying to make a daily deadline for our Dugout Daily publication was difficult at best. Steve would go out of his way to help me and encourage me when it was obvious the pressure I was under was taking its toll.

Selfishly, I thought only of myself. He was dealing with more media figures than just me, including the local daily papers and folks from out of town whose teams were part of the tournament. I heard him on the phone with some people, and saw him deal with others personally. He treated all of them like longtime friends and went out of his way to take care of their every need.

Of course, Steve wasn’t just doing it for the benefit of the press. He wanted to help the players from the 11 teams see their names in print. He served people of all ages, but he had a special place in his heart for young people.

When the Easley High School Athletic Booster Club was going through one of its toughest periods, Steve McNeely stepped up to take charge as club president. He needed somebody to help him restore integrity to the club. There was only one obvious choice. Steve Westmoreland came forward and served as the club’s vice president. You could say that the two “Steves” saved the EHS Booster Club.

I found out a lot more about Steve during his funeral. Family members spoke of times when he would play the guitar, sing and cut-up.

“You either loved Steve, or you just had not met him,” somebody said at the funeral. Good point.

There’s no way any one person will fill Steve Westmoreland’s shoes in this community. Perhaps we can take it as a challenge to each step up and offer something. Somewhere there are young athletes who need a little help. There are friends who need a kind word and encouragement. There are strangers who need to know somebody cares.

We can step forward and assume these roles in memory of Steve Westmoreland. And I can’t think of a more appropriate way to pay tribute to his memory.