Steve was born and raised in the Los Angeles area with siblings John and Mary Encell. Steve’s father died when he was very young, and he and his brother were sent off to a military academy. Later, he attended Dorsey High School, where he excelled at cross country, tennis, and golf. One of his first jobs was at See’s Candies. After Dorsey, he attended El Camino College and met his future wife, Celeste. Together, they raised their two sons, Steve Jr. and Dan, in the San Fernando Valley and spent summers at their cabin in Malibu Lake. At Malibu Lake, they met many lifelong friends, including Steve’s best friend, Roger Darby. Steve and Darby were true outdoorsmen and enjoyed a lifetime of travel, backpacking, hunting, fishing, bodysurfing, and sailing.
In 1971, the family moved to Paso Robles, an area Steve had fallen in love with while serving in the Army/National Guard at nearby Camp Roberts. He bought the iconic local auto parts shop, Pioneer Auto, which he ran for several decades, providing career employment for dozens of locals. Many of his Pioneer Auto “family” worked their entire careers with Steve. Today, the Pioneer Auto building is home to Studios at the Park, a local nonprofit that benefits the Paso Robles community at many levels.
Steve flourished in Paso Robles, making great friends and becoming an important part of the community. There, he enjoyed fishing, camping, hunting, golf, tennis, skiing, gardening, raising animals, and flying his airplane. Steve and his son Dan were formidable doubles partners at the local racquetball club. Steve was a longtime member of the Paso Robles Trail Riders, where he enjoyed riding mules on the annual trail ride.
After several moves within the local area, Steve acquired “The Ranch,” a beautiful 95-acre property at the base of the Santa Lucia mountains, with 1/4 mile of Jack Creek flowing through it. This property became one of the great loves of his life, where he enjoyed being a “gentleman farmer” and later planted the largest Pinot Noir vineyard within the Paso Robles AVA.
After 20+ years of marriage, Steve and Celeste went their separate ways, and in 1995, Steve met the love of his life, Sue Shannon. This was the start of a 30-year fairytale romance that lasted until Steve’s last day. As much as Steve loved the Ranch, he loved Sue more and quickly moved to Tulare to be with her. Steve was “all in” with living in Tulare near Sue’s fine sons, Blake, Trevor, and Chris, their families, and Sue’s countless awesome Valley friends.
Steve and Sue loved following the athletic careers of their many grandchildren and were regular fixtures at as many sporting events as they could possibly fit in. Steve enjoyed following the Dodgers, celebrating his birthday each year with friends and family at Bass Lake, weekly Taco Tuesdays, organized by his dear friends John and Sandra Jones, dressing up for many holiday dinners at Hearst Castle with Sue, Dan, and his lovely wife, Caroline, and attending Old Mule Days in Bishop where he won World Champion Mule two times!
Late in life, Steve connected with his half-sister, Elaine, who lived in Texas with her husband, Henson Dunn. Steve, Sue, Elaine, and Henson were a regular foursome traveling, dining, and golfing together around the country.
Just before his 80th birthday, Steve had a severe stroke, which diminished his strength and short-term memory. Despite the challenges that followed, Steve remained gracious, positive, optimistic, fun, kind, and loving until the very end. He always believed the best about people, and he was forever grateful for all of the wonderful friends and family in his life. He was especially thankful to have Sue by his side until the end.
A very special thanks to all of the fine nurses and staff at Quail Park, who cared for Steve with extraordinary love and compassion.
There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, September 7, at 4 p.m., at 4775 See Ranch Lane, Templeton. All friends and family are welcome.
