It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our patriarch of love and strength, Stephen Christian Medel.

Stephen passed peacefully on Thursday, May 8th at 8:17am surrounded by the love of his “Preshy” wife Carly, and cousins.

Stephen fought courageously for the past 10 months and with the bravest, always positive, steadfast attitude that he was going to beat this cancer battle. Preshy did her best to make sure he always believed that and never EVER let him have a morsel of doubt or fear enter his mind. He never questioned the plan and submitted dutifully to his schedule of appointments, infusions, pokes and invasive procedures because he believed he could overcome ANYTHING. And he did it with such grace and thanks, even til his last breaths. There was always a “please” or a “thank you” or an “I’m sorry.” He was a pillar of pureness, kindness, patience and love. He always kept his smile and he had the best one. The wrinkles of his eyes and the far corners of his smile could light up the darkest of hearts. Any hospital staff that was lucky enough to care for him was taken by his enigmatic spirit and charm. If you are reading this now, it is because Stephen left his mark on you…any single human he met, felt it. He had a gift. He was magnetic in that way.

The family thanks you for the outpouring of support during the dark and empty days ahead. To all of you who have reached out in all of the incredible ways you have cradled Carly and the boys, we are forever grateful.

It is impossible to imagine the days and let alone living life without him. If you feel compelled to help out in any way, we’d like to use this as a platform for friends, family and colleagues to contribute. Whether that be through Give A Hand or money for meals, activities for Carly and the Boys or financial support to cover hospital and burial costs…it is a blessing. If you feel the need to give immediate support, that Carly can access now, please Venmo her directly @Carly-Medel (you will need to go directly to your Venmo app and lookup @Carly-Medel user name to use this option.)

We love you and know that Stephen is wrapping all of us who are hurting and feeling the immense loss of his spirit and character in his warm Steb embrace ❤️

A memorial and Celebration of Life will be held at Lion’s Park in Carpinteria on Saturday, August 16th. All details will be shared here in the coming weeks.

Thank you for visiting and may we all live life as full and rich as Stephen did.

#LIVELIKESTEB