Book: Brandon Johnson

I am truly saddened with the passing of Steve Dantzker.  I have nothing but adoration and appreciation for Steve and his family.  He was someone I will always look up to and try to emulate. He was undeniably the coolest dad I've ever known.  He had a way with Nick, me, and our friends.  We could be ourselves around Steve.  He allowed us to find our own way, but always offered us guidance, advice, or help whenever we needed it.  He was likely one of the smartest people I will ever know.  The man was like an encyclopedia.  Whenever we had questions about ANYTHING, he would give us a thirty minute lesson on it, and we were captivated.  There were always fights to get into Steve's green suburban on basketball road trips :)

One of my fondest memories of Steve is when he took Nick and me to see Lord of the Rings.  Nick, Steve, UB, Lizzy, and I drove into San Francisco to see the second and third LOTR movies.  Steve made quite the day of these movie premieres.  He treated us to an endless Dim Sum lunch, and then we would walk over to the Metreon, which at the time was like heaven to us boys.  The movies always seemed to premiere right before Christmas, and in a testament to his boundless generosity and kindness, Steve would have a number of fifty dollar bills prepared, which he would hand out to unsuspecting homeless people.  He never made a scene of this, barely breaking stride and passing them money like it was pocket change.  He would look at me and Nick and say something like, "It's Christmas, I don't care what they spend it on."  He always insisted that we see movies in IMAX.  On the way home, he and UB would field our endless questions about Tolkien and the LOTR world.  As far as Nick and I were concerned, he may as fucking well have been to Middle Earth.  He had been everywhere.  He knew everything.

I was so fortunate enough to have known Steve and spend as much time with him as I did.  I find some solace in that his spirit lives on through his incredible family, who I will always love and hold dear to my heart.