A Scout is Cheerful

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.  

This week I got tragic news.  My friend and Boy Scout leader colleague, Steve Ash, passed away peacefully from his valiant battle with brain cancer.  I had been thinking about Steve quite a bit, wondering how he was doing, and this news hit me pretty hard.

But Steve's death also gave me a chance to reflect.  A chance to reflect on his life and my relationship with him, and also a chance to reflect on how I want to live my life.  The night I wrote a little something for Steve on facebook, and I thought I would put it here, too, for the sake of permanence:

Every once in a while the world loses a true hero. This week we lost someone whose last thought is himself; someone whose actions speak louder than words; someone who lived as a testament that optimism, faith, and good cheer are the most powerful forces of the human spirit. This week one of those heros moved from this life to the next, and he will be sorely missed.

I had the enormous fortune to know and work with Steve Ash and benefit from his kindness, wisdom, selflessness, and generosity. Steve taught me that even in the face of horrible misfortune it is possible to see the bright side and to focus one's attention on helping others. He showed me the importance of dedication and demonstrated the power of humor. He taught me that even brain cancer is not strong enough to extinguish the passion of a truly righteous man.

May Steve's legacy continue to inspire others in Scouting, in sports, in science, and beyond. May his memory continue to invoke kindness, laughter, and dignity. And above all, may he rest in peace.

Steve Ash (center) wore that smile with him everywhere he went.

I was still a scout when Steve 3 first came to our troop.  I also had the privilege of being an Assistant Scoutmaster with him at the 2010 National Jamboree. At meetings and on camping trips he was always the fun leader.  He loved teaching new things.  He loved joking around.  The only thing bigger than his sense of humor was his heart.  His school teaching, his work as a Boy Scout leader with Troop 54 and at J.N. Webster in Connecticut, and all he did for the members of his community--things he only stopped because when doctor made him, if then--were examples of how he lived his life to help others.

If you met Steve, you would probably never have known he had terminal cancer.  Like Jim Bloom, another T54 leader who lost his brave cancer battle a few months before I became and Eagle Scout, if you asked Steve how he was doing he'd always respond with a smile, "I'm good."  No matter how sick he was, how much chemo he was about to go through the next day, he was always optimistic.  A Scout is cheerful.  Steve helped me realize how important that is.