I found out today that a friend from many years ago died the other day. His name was Steve, and he was the bartender at Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit for over 30 years. When I was going to school in Michigan, I spent a lot of time at the club sailing and socializing, and he's a huge part of what made it such a great place to hang out. He had great stories to tell, greeted everyone with a smile, and when he saw you walk in the door, he had your favorite drink waiting for you by the time you reached the bar. He did me and my first wife a favor and gave up a Saturday afternoon and evening, the busiest time at the club, to be the bartender at our wedding reception and the party afterwards. He was a big reason we all had as much fun as we did. I haven't seen him in close to 20 years, but he'll always be one of my friends and my favorite guy behind the bar.
My favorite story about Steve is from the day that Jerry Garcia came to visit Bayview. He was a huge Deadhead and often wore a Stealie tie-pin at work, his way of livening up the black-tie outfits the Bayview bartenders had to wear. Jerry's wife had a friend who was a member, so he stopped in with them one afternoon before they played shows in Detroit the following two days. Steve couldn't believe Jerry was actually in the bar hanging out with us (there were only a handful of people there), and the three of us spent the better part of a hour or two talking about music, sailing, and diving. Before he left, Steve asked Jerry to sign an autograph for him, and Jerry told him he could do even better than that. He took one of the large white cloth bar napkins, drew a Stealie on it, and signed it for him. Steve was beyond excited, and that signed napkin artwork hung behind the bar for the rest of the summer.
Farewell, Steve. I'll have a Mt. Gay & ginger in your memory tonight.
