Steven Slover

"A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again - Mayo Angelou

Hi, I am Steve’s sister Lisa and funding for help with funeral services. Sadly, Steve passed away peacefully on Tuesday 4/11/2023 at 5:55 pm. I was there with his son Michael holding his hand while playing music in his memory. We played his favorite 3 songs and after 15 minutes he departed for his next destination. For those who knew Steve, he liked most music and liked it loud! Mostly rock & roll, but enjoyed hip hop and rap, and was nicknamed Uncle Black for many reasons. He danced and sang often, and was always a happy guy! So we dedicated Pocket Full of Sunshine, See You Again, and All the Way Up in his final moments.

Steve’s life was filled with numerous hardships, but he was a true survivor! We thought he was invincible and could survive anything! He never wanted anyone to worry about him, and always put others above his own needs. He was very private and struggled with homelessness. The family supported Steve in many different ways and always looked after him. He was never judged, and always loved! We didn’t love him any less, and always knew what a big heart he had.

Everyone would agree that he was a good, caring, selfless, generous, supportive, brave, hard-working, strong, independent, and fierce man. He was funny, loved playing jokes on all of us, and was born a prankster. He is a son, brother, uncle, dad, friend, and hero to all of us! He was the 5th sibling out of 7. A brother and uncle to everyone! Steve touched the hearts of everyone he met and always celebrated his life. He was always happy and hated drama, and often danced to Happy by Pharrell Williams. He’d walk away and exit a negative situation and kept to himself. That is who he was, and always very respectful!

Steve was always there for those who needed him, and they knew it. He would never give up, or turn his back on someone. Steve showed up and supported grieving family members in times of need. He worked in contracting most of his life, and no matter what his situation was he gave his earnings to others. He frequently gave money to the homeless in tent camps in the area, and supported them in any way he could, as a friend, brother, and equal! Minister Steve Brigham in Toms River has known Steve for 22 years and helped him during his hardships. In return Steve volunteered and helped out in the tent camps. Minister Steve's dedication to my brother, the community, and the homeless are recognized throughout the area.

He was married to the love of his life and later divorced. It was one of the most beautiful weddings, and we are so grateful he got to experience something so special! He had 2 incredible boys, Stevie and Michael. He lost his 1st son Stevie in a 2022 tragedy and was devastated. And left us the gift of Michael! Knowing we would all care for Michael, and love him just as much as we loved Steve. Steve would want us to support each other and continue to share his life to celebrate the good man he was.

On 3/30/2023, Steve finished a contracting job, had dinner with family, and was in the vacant house with another contractor. He collapsed and never woke up. He was resuscitated 3 times and put on life support at Deborah Hospital. Once stabilized, he was transferred to Capital Health in Trenton for a second, third, and fourth opinion and cared for in the neuro ICU center. The outcome from the initial ER report was not what we wanted to hear, but we prayed and supported him every day. I advocated for Steve day and night, and all of us believed in miracles.

I organized a family meeting with the hospital neuro team of experts on 4/5/2023, we reviewed 3 C-scans, MRI, EEG, and all testing to confirm his condition both short and long-term. Deborah Hospital saw first hand the extent of brain damage from a loss of oxygen for an extended period (30 minutes down), no other medical conditions were reported. He had a severe anoxic brain injury and brain death. We struggled with the results and were told he had a zero percent chance of recovery and survival. His heart continued to beat artificially, and then I realized the miracle we prayed for did happen, but not the way we had hoped. Steve may have died on 3/30/23, but we had the opportunity to say goodbye, hold his hand, and see him for an additional 12 days. Family throughout NJ, and NH came to see him!

After discussing the extent of damage with family, we made a mutual decision on Easter Sunday 4/9/2023. In the best interest of Steve and very limited options as he was leaving us, we decided to withdraw medical intervention. His body developed numerous infections, and organs were starting to fail. Steve was immediately approved as an organ donor, and has the opportunity to help over 100 lives with his organs and tissue donation (organs, corneas, skin, femur bones, etc). This gift of life is what Steve would have wanted, and now he is flying high in heaven. The NJ Sharing Network Foundation acted quickly and started looking for organ recipient matches, and only had a 2 day window to finalize everything. It was confirmed that his kidneys went to 2 recipients on dialysis, a 35 year old female and 75 year old male. More updates will be sent. A signed flag was raised at Capital Health in Steve's honor, and his name was put on a memorial wall at NJ Sharing Network in New Providence in the memorial garden for everyone to visit.

Additionally, we knew the importance of organ donations because Michael’s mom Cathy received the gift of life and a donated kidney before she met Steve. Her life was saved and the donor that gave her the gift of life gave us Michael. Without this donor, we would not have met Cathy or Michael, and Steve’s path would have been very different. Sadly, Cathy passed away when Michael was 7 years old, and now he lost his dad. Steve can now give others the gift of life and the miracle of many more Michael’s.

Steve will always be remembered as the hero and good guy who changed many lives. All of our lives were touched by Steven, and we will never forget him! He would never want us to worry about him during these times of need, and would want us to be kinder to each other and celebrate his life. Hug, cry, laugh, dance, give freely as he did, and advocate for the homeless!

He wanted his resting place to be in Old Tennent Cemetery in Manalapan with family and that is where he will be. We have decided on a burial which is over $12,000. Thank you to those who have donated online and privately, please add a message! 4/14/2023

Services: 4/19/2023

*Funeral services are confirmed for Wednesday 4/19, 10am-12 pm, 2-hour viewing, and Minister Steve will be speaking at Steve's services.

Lakewood Funeral Home

6250 Highway 9 South

Howell, NJ 07731

*Burial services will follow after the funeral home and we will meet at Old Tennent Cemetery. No limo service, but if someone needs a ride and I can assist please let me know.

Old Tennent Cemetery

454 Tennent Rd.

Manalapan 07763

**In lieu of flowers please donate an item to the homeless by bringing it on Wednesday to the services. I can collect items in my SUV and drop it off if needed.

Lastly, for those who cannot make a financial donation and anyone who would want to contribute to the homeless in Steve's name, please follow Minister Steve Brigham on Facebook and donate to the homeless crisis. Anything is appreciated, and will help with this unfortunate epidemic of homelessness. He has a list of items needed that is posted online, and numerous drop-off locations throughout NJ. Items include tents, tarps, bug spray, various-size batteries with good dates, paper products, and much more. Volunteer at events, and organize donations through social media and the workplace. Clean out the garage, shed, and basement, and finds ways to help others less fortunate. Every little donation makes a huge difference to those in need!

Please contact me directly if needed. With Love, Lisa Slover (Last photo taken of Steve on 3/26/23)

UPDATES

4/20/2023:

Thank you for all your support and generous donations! Together we reached our goal!! Without your support and love, I could not have done this by myself!! It's been 3 difficult weeks, and I finally feel at peace! Our family is truly grateful to see how many people loved and supported Steve. The funeral services were beautiful and a wonderful celebration of Steve's life. Minister Steve was there to pray with us and spoke at his services. We've all learned so much more about Steven, his chosen path, and his dedication to helping others. Steve's final resting place at Old Tennent Cemetery is where his next journey begins.

With the extra donations, I will have Steve's name engraved on the family headstone as soon as I can and then donate the remaining amount to Minister Steve and his advocacy work for the homeless. For those who want to learn more about Steve, please read Minister Steve Brigham's tribute on Facebook 4/19/2023. I will continue to advocate for the homeless and make sure Steve's story is not forgotten. Please contact Minister Steve Brigham on Facebook to make donations directly to the homeless, learn how you can help, or contact me for more information.

Your countless deeds of kindness, always giving and never expecting any favors in return will never be forgotten Steve! We will all miss you so much, See you Again!

Rest in Peace

6/11/2023:

We participated in our first Sharing Network Foundation 5K Celebration of Life event in New Providence, NJ. This is to honor those we have lost and all the hero's who gave the gift of life. Donor families, donor recipients, and registered organ donors bring awareness at this annual event and the importance of being a registered donor. My son and friends helped honor Steve! We'll be back every year to show support and will wear a black shirt. Please check their website and come join us! Steve 55!!

8/20/2023:

Remembering Steve on his 56th birthday. Today we visited the cemetery to see Steve and to let him know how much he is loved and missed. We continue to hear more stories about him and laugh at his jokes! Every year he would call mom on his birthday and all holidays. This year was especially hard for us, but knowing his resting place is where he wanted to be brings us peace!