Michele Sbrana

My Dad....Steve Parry

Michele Sbrana
My Dad....Steve Parry

Steven Keith Parry was born November 15, 1945 and went home on Monday July 19th at 11:30PM with his 3 children and wife Nancy surrounding him.

Steve was a loving husband to Nancy for 55 years; tremendous dad to Michele, Jamie, Shannon, Tony (Michele’s husband) and Scott (Shannon’s husband). He was an affectionate and adoring “Bapa” (grandfather) to Riley, Casey, Camden, Brennan, Griffin and Alison (Riley’s wife) and a wonderful brother to Tom (Julie) and Jill (John). He grew up in Berkeley and Orinda, CA attending Miramonte High School. Steve and Nancy raised their family in Lafayette, CA but spent the last 19 years in Danville, CA. 


Steve relished being a father and grandfather, always showing up wherever they were, to be part of whatever they were doing. He was a faithful brother and uncle and son. He was a loyal friend. He was a beloved and dedicated Young Life leader for decades, mentoring teenagers and young adults, many who stayed connected to him throughout his life.  


Steve volunteered as a soccer and basketball coach when his kids were young, always making sure slurpees were part of the post game analysis. He was a zealous Bay Area Sport fan, with the Cal Bears (his alma mater), the Giants and the 49ers ranking the top of his list. He himself was an athlete in high school and college and onward in his adult years with a competitive spirit always keeping things lively. He studied and loved architecture at Cal but found his true creative passion in storytelling.  He was an accomplished storyteller using film and television to tell all kinds of narratives, but the stories that mattered most to him were the stories he crafted, real and imagined, for his children, grandchildren and teenagers at Young LIfe clubs. Steve knew how to captivate an audience.


Steve found immense joy in his television and film production career. In his early years, he created a film about the Monterey Jazz Festival and the legendary tennis player Arthur Ashe.  He produced the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Swimming and Diving coverage and the inaugural World Games held in Santa Clara in 1981.  He loved working with Martin Yan of the PBS cooking show “Yan Can Cook,” particularly on location in Hong Kong and mainland China. He oversaw Sunset Magazine’s Film and Television division, developing and producing many television programs for home improvement and outdoor living. He worked with cruise lines and traveled around the world, including his most favorite Fjords of Norway and Greek Isles. He created the Smithsonian's "Dreams of Flight" video series that explored the history of aviation, made a documentary of the great football rivalry of Cal and Stanford’s Big Game, and was most proud of ‘The Poet and The RoughRider’ a film about Yosemite, its history and the unique friendship of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt.

 

Despite his deep professional achievements, he was equally content in the simplicity of  life. He cultivated beautiful backyards, building bird feeders, retaining walls, chicken coops and a towering treehouse with his grandsons. He and Nancy loved exploring the great beauty of the California coast from Big Sur to Mendocino and many national forests from Tahoe to Stanislaus. He learned to fly-fish from his father and delighted in sharing this legacy with his kids and grandsons, always in search of the perfect spot along a stream at dawn or dusk. He and Nancy loved their summer weeks in Maui and cherished the sacred sunsets, pristine beaches, incredible underwater life, and native Hawaiian culture.


Steve’s faith in Jesus was central to his life. His understanding of a life well lived came from the overflowing love found in his relationship with God, his creator. These beliefs made him passionate about standing up against injustice and he lived this out loud…often with great exuberance! He modeled standing up for your beliefs and living an abundant life. His family and friends have been inspired to carry his legacy of love, passion, adventure and justice.


His final ten weeks of life following his brain cancer diagnosis were very challenging and often painful but he persevered with strength, honesty, dignity and love... with some humor and sarcasm thrown in for good measure. 


His family and friends drove and flew long distances to be with and near him in his final season. There was nothing left unsaid. He knew he was deeply loved and his people knew he loved them. There really isn’t much more that matters in life. In his final days, he talked often of t​​raveling and getting to his destination, of making it home. He had no fear... only anticipation of what lay ahead of him.


These were words said over and over to him as a reminder of the hope of wholeness to come  “...  no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Our family is overwhelmed at the love, care, and support of so many friends and family. Thank you for standing with us, undergirding us.

Memorial Service to be held Friday September 10th at 3pm at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek.

Memorial donations can be made to any or all of these 3 organizations. They each are doing work Steve cared deeply about and himself was invested in during his lifetime.

Memorial Service Coronavirus Precautions

For those who cannot attend in person the service will be live streamed at this link:  wcpc.church/parrymemorial

Walnut Creek Presbyterian sanctuary seats 1000 people and has very high ceilings with good ventilation systems. There will be plenty of room for social distancing and we will have ushers guiding distanced seating. It’s required by our county to wear masks while indoors and we’ll be adhering to the county protocols of masks indoors at all times. 

There will be an outdoor reception following the service on the church patio with light refreshments; all will be asked to continue to wear masks to protect the vulnerable friends and family among us.