In Memory of Steve Kato
Donation protected
If you knew Steve, you couldn’t help but fall in love with his mellow nature, infectious sense of humor, and the respect he showed to every person or situation that came across his path. His empathy and compassion for others had no bound.
On October 15, 2020, Steve peacefully passed away from cancer with his family by his side. The hole he left in all of our hearts can never be filled, but the memories he left behind will be cherished by all those whom he touched.
Steve’s spirit exuded positivity, kindness, humor, generosity, and love for everyone he met. He was that person you could always count on because he loved helping people because, frankly he was really bad at saying “no.” The idea of disappointing someone was something he simply couldn’t accept. His family meant everything to him, especially his children. Not long ago he said, “The boys mean so much to me, it’s a love I’ve never felt in my life.”
Having Steve in your life meant you always had a cheerleader on the sideline, someone who would give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his pocket, and who always made you laugh harder than you thought possible. If he knew you were feeling down, he was amazing at saying just what you needed to hear to solve any problem. Steve had a gift for spreading love wherever he went. He had a genuine love of his profession, community, students, and colleagues. He was the kind of teacher who attended his students’ sports games and concerts and had kids return year after year to visit the teacher who worked tirelessly to teach, praise, and support them to be as successful as possible. Steve never referred to his job as “work” because it was a place that was filled with love and he felt lucky to come to school each day being able to share that joy with his students, fellow teachers, and everyone in the community.
There has been a huge outpouring of love and support and many people wanted to know how they could help. Steve was always one of the first people to lend a helping hand when needed, so let us all “be like Steve” and help his family the way we all know he would have done for ours.
On October 15, 2020, Steve peacefully passed away from cancer with his family by his side. The hole he left in all of our hearts can never be filled, but the memories he left behind will be cherished by all those whom he touched.
Steve’s spirit exuded positivity, kindness, humor, generosity, and love for everyone he met. He was that person you could always count on because he loved helping people because, frankly he was really bad at saying “no.” The idea of disappointing someone was something he simply couldn’t accept. His family meant everything to him, especially his children. Not long ago he said, “The boys mean so much to me, it’s a love I’ve never felt in my life.”
Having Steve in your life meant you always had a cheerleader on the sideline, someone who would give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his pocket, and who always made you laugh harder than you thought possible. If he knew you were feeling down, he was amazing at saying just what you needed to hear to solve any problem. Steve had a gift for spreading love wherever he went. He had a genuine love of his profession, community, students, and colleagues. He was the kind of teacher who attended his students’ sports games and concerts and had kids return year after year to visit the teacher who worked tirelessly to teach, praise, and support them to be as successful as possible. Steve never referred to his job as “work” because it was a place that was filled with love and he felt lucky to come to school each day being able to share that joy with his students, fellow teachers, and everyone in the community.
There has been a huge outpouring of love and support and many people wanted to know how they could help. Steve was always one of the first people to lend a helping hand when needed, so let us all “be like Steve” and help his family the way we all know he would have done for ours.
Fundraising team (3)
Angela Tsoi
Organizer
Mountain View, CA
Kendall Kato
Beneficiary
Liz Escobar-Ausman
Team member
Thi Huynh
Team member
