Help ease financial stress for the Barriers

On Saturday, October 16th our dear friend Steve was on his way to watch his oldest son Steven play soccer in Statesboro, Ga. Just one mile shy of the fields, he was involved in a fatal single car accident. He was just 44.

He leaves behind his wife, Olivia Barrier, sons Steven, 16 , Michael, 12, a very large extended family, his military family and his soccer family.

Steve was just about to retire from a decorated 21 year military career as an OH58 Scout Pilot in the United States Army with 5 combat deployments. When he wasn't on duty he spent  time fostering his love for soccer by being not only a coach but a referee as well. The game of soccer and the players were his passion. He started coaching in 2011 while stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. When they moved to Richmond Hill in 2017, the boys each started playing soccer at the Richmond Hill Soccer Club. Both Steve and Olivia started coaching not long after and Steve joined the RHSC Board of Directors first as the Registrar and then moved into the Vice President of Select position. He was a key element in helping make RHSC the club it is today. As a coach, he was very adamant about proper technique and was extremely enthusiastic about soccer development. He was always the first one to pull a player aside if they seemed unsure of something and stayed working with them until they understood. He was one of the most encouraging coaches and always made sure to tell the players what they were doing well and he was positive, even when they weren't..no matter what. He was typically one of the first to volunteer to help with anything club related. As his oldest son Stevie outgrew him as a coach (his words!), Stevie went to play for Tormenta FC so Steve took a step back from coaching in the fall of 2019. We missed his constant coaching presence around the fields at RHSC but he did help out whenever he could AND we did get to see him when he referreed. He seemed to have found another level in the game that he enjoyed just as much as coaching and was a Ref for all age groups- the Recreation level, Academy, Select, ECNL, MLS Next as well as reffed for the Savannah Clovers and the Savannah Spirit.

You very rarely saw Steve without some kind of soccer gear on, an Atlanta United ball cap, the bill properly rolled in, and a dip in his bottom lip accompanied by a gentle smile. We will miss that smile. 

We are so grateful to Steve AND Olivia (who continues to coach, ref and be the Team manager for Mikeys team) for being such a strong presence in the soccer community.

On behalf of Olivia and the boys, her soccer family is reaching out and asking for your help in lifting the financial burden just a bit during such a devastating time.

Thank you so much. ❤⚽❤