All are welcome to drive their Semi-trucks down to the Attica Cemetery to celebrate The Best Truck Driver to Ever Live--Steve Anthony, AKA Rip Van Winkle on Sunday, August 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm Attica Cemetery, Attica, KS
Steve Anthony, age 68 ½ passed from this life and into the hands of Jesus on August 5, 2020 at 7:45pm. He lived in the Prairie Sunset Nursing Home, Pretty Prairie, Kansas.
Steve is survived by his children Shawna (& John) Heien of Louisburg, KS, Shane (& Crystal) Anthony of Anthony, KS; grandchildren Wyatt, Wiley, & Kay Heien, Louisburg, KS; Austin, Dawson, Carson, Cassidy, & Hudson Anthony, Anthony, KS; brother, Wade (& Debbie) Anthony, Pratt, KS; sister, Gayl Lee, Great Bend, KS; Uncle Carl Leader of Woodlawn, Oregon; Aunt Norma Anthony, Lyons, KS; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother, Velma “Peach” (Leader) Anthony on June 13, 2020; father Dean Anthony; sister, Patty Horton; nephew William Anthony; and best friend, Skip Stark.
Steven Dean Anthony was born on Saturday, December 22, 1951 in Attica, KS to Velma (Leader) & Dean Anthony. He graduated from Attica High School in 1969 and married Karen Reid on August 8, 1970. Rip Van Winkle & Snow White had two children, Shawna in 1973 and Shane in 1974. Steve was first and foremost a truck-driver. He worked under his own authority, and also for Anthony & Dauner Trucking, and lastly for Grainliner (owned by his dad).
Dad was an incredible Dad and we were the luckiest kids in the whole world. He took us on many trucking trips with him and we thought the world of him. He was an English Major and he never stopped teaching us correct ways to pronounce words, use proper grammar, and always read stories to us. Even after his accident, this character trait was strong! It was always surprising but comical when he would correct our speech while he was living in the nursing home. In our childhood, Dad would introduce a new word to us every week and we had to practice using it in sentences all week long and we also had to spell it correctly! Shawna remembers not being able to pronounce “aluminum” when she was a kid and that was a great irritation to him! Eventually she figured it out and he moved her on to harder words including supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! He had an extensive library and no books were off limits to us kids. Dad always let us help him with projects around the house, yard, and truck. We kids helped him & mom drill insulation holes into our house on Jackson St, climb onto the roof to hang Christmas lights (and throw the bulbs down onto the sidewalk to watch them explode!).
Steve’s best friend, a high school classmate, Skip Stark, and his family moved to Pratt in the early 1970’s while Dad was working at Swinson's Auto Dealership. Dad and Skip were classmates at Attica Highschool. Skip started working at Swinson’s and from then on we ran around with Skip's family. They had four kids and us two so it was always a wild time! Our families played cards, ate suppers together, went on vacations together and even had Thanksgivings together. Dad and Skip were like brothers! Skip was a mechanic and they were always working on some vehicle. Dad and Skip played tennis together and what a sight that was...not too many balls got hit! Dad and Skip rode motorcycles together, went fishing, hunting, ice skating (on the frozen Lemon’s Park Pond in Pratt), sledding in the winter and anything else they could think of to do. The only time it got a little hairy was when all of us kids were down in the toy room (with Terry & Alton Werth’s kids also) and the boys got one side of the door and wouldn’t let all of us girls in! Well, eventually that door was pushed to the ground and the girls got into the toy room! Shawna remembers it was the only time she saw Dad get mad! It was a wonderful time during those years!
Shawna & Shane have some very special memories of Dad and certain songs will always remind us of Dad: “Rubber Ducky” AKA Convoy by C.W. McCall--the 8-track version played in an International truck is the best way to listen to the song by the way--“I Found A Peanut,” and “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” by Ray Stevens. In addition, Dad always listened to Paul Harvey. Dad was a great storyteller and Uncle Wade remembers him telling him how he should “just tell your kids a story at night time so they’ll go to sleep.” Wade told me Dad didn’t just read us “The Three Little Bears,” he recited to us in reverse chronological order!
The year of 1983 turned out to be terrible for our family.
In April/May of 1983, dad was on the truck down in Oklahoma at a farm and was unloading grain. He had his coveralls on and he stepped too close to the auger; it caught his coverall pants leg. It wrapped around his leg, up his torso, and under his armpits before it ripped off over his shoulders and neck. His arm pits were “burned” and also he was “burned” around the neck. The coveralls had a big long zipper and it cut him when it ripped off him. The guys on the farm poured kerosene on dad (that was a very old remedy) and it “burned like everything” but it “sealed” the wounds. Dad drove home in intense pain and didn’t tell mom until he arrived home. She took him to the emergency room at Pratt Hospital where they treated the burns & severe dehydration.
Then, on July 16, 1983, Dad had a horrible truck accident outside Perryton, Texas in which he received severe burns and an extreme head injury. The U-joint broke and blew into the diesel tank catching it on fire. The fire engulfed him severely burning his head, neck, arm, and chest. He jumped out of the truck which was traveling close to 55 mph and hit his head on the pavement which caused a severe head injury. A farmer on a tractor in a field heard the accident, came to help & called an ambulance. Dad was revived four times in the ambulance and two more times at the hospital in Amarillo. He was cared for in the Amarillo hospital, St. Francis & St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, KS, The Brown Ranch Treatment School for Head Injured patients in Austin, Tx, and the Topeka School for the Blind in Topeka, KS. Dad’s life changed forever that day as did the lives of his wife & children. For most of the past 37 years, Dad lived in nursing homes but the absolute best home he lived in was Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the past 18 years. The family would especially like to thank Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the incredible care and love they showered on Dad. “Big Steve” & Kim and many others took care of Dad for almost 18 years and are so very special. Thank-you.
From an unknown author, this poem, “God Made A Trucker” honors Dad and all the truckers out there including son Shane; son-in-law, John Heien; brother Wade; his dad, Dean Anthony; brother-in-law, Mark Reid; nephews James Anthony and Jacob Anthony; Uncle Earl Anthony; cousin, Dennis Leader; relative, Donnie Council; and family friends Darin Dauner and Tom Medrano.
And on the ninth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need someone to help the farmer." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn in a foreign town, inspect his truck, work all day delivering anything and everything we need to survive, care for everyone traveling the roads, then at the end of the day call his family whom he is away from yet again." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to drive a 40-ton truck all night through snow, sleet, and rain with nerves of steel. I need somebody who can repair a truck in zero-degree weather while cars drive by at 70 miles per hour. I need someone who can secure a load to an icy trailer in 40 mile-per-hour wind, and someone who can repair anything with duct tape, baling wire, and elbow grease. I need someone who will drive 600 miles in a single day dodging cars that don't see them in their mirror, then crawl into a foreign bed for a few hours rest. And then longing for their family at home, put in another 600 miles the next day.” So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to lift a hundred pounds, yet gentle enough to wave a small child across the street; who will stop his truck for an hour to save a lost dog or stop to assist a scared, single mom whose car has broken down."
It had to be somebody who'd drive straight and steady for hours upon end. Somebody to drive, repair, load, secure, and unload, and serve others that don’t respect them, and watch out for everyone. Somebody who'd keep a family together from thousands of miles away, never asking anyone for anything. Someone who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Daddy does. So God made a trucker.
Steve was cremated and will be celebrated on Sunday, August 16, at 1pm at the Attica Cemetery. His final resting place will be next to his nephew, Willie Anthony. Pastor Darin Dauner will officiate the graveside celebration service. All are welcome to drive their semi-truck down to the Attica Cemetery and remember The Best Truck Driver Ever and celebrate Dad’s life with us.
Steve Anthony, age 68 ½ passed from this life and into the hands of Jesus on August 5, 2020 at 7:45pm. He lived in the Prairie Sunset Nursing Home, Pretty Prairie, Kansas.
Steve is survived by his children Shawna (& John) Heien of Louisburg, KS, Shane (& Crystal) Anthony of Anthony, KS; grandchildren Wyatt, Wiley, & Kay Heien, Louisburg, KS; Austin, Dawson, Carson, Cassidy, & Hudson Anthony, Anthony, KS; brother, Wade (& Debbie) Anthony, Pratt, KS; sister, Gayl Lee, Great Bend, KS; Uncle Carl Leader of Woodlawn, Oregon; Aunt Norma Anthony, Lyons, KS; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother, Velma “Peach” (Leader) Anthony on June 13, 2020; father Dean Anthony; sister, Patty Horton; nephew William Anthony; and best friend, Skip Stark.
Steven Dean Anthony was born on Saturday, December 22, 1951 in Attica, KS to Velma (Leader) & Dean Anthony. He graduated from Attica High School in 1969 and married Karen Reid on August 8, 1970. Rip Van Winkle & Snow White had two children, Shawna in 1973 and Shane in 1974. Steve was first and foremost a truck-driver. He worked under his own authority, and also for Anthony & Dauner Trucking, and lastly for Grainliner (owned by his dad).
Dad was an incredible Dad and we were the luckiest kids in the whole world. He took us on many trucking trips with him and we thought the world of him. He was an English Major and he never stopped teaching us correct ways to pronounce words, use proper grammar, and always read stories to us. Even after his accident, this character trait was strong! It was always surprising but comical when he would correct our speech while he was living in the nursing home. In our childhood, Dad would introduce a new word to us every week and we had to practice using it in sentences all week long and we also had to spell it correctly! Shawna remembers not being able to pronounce “aluminum” when she was a kid and that was a great irritation to him! Eventually she figured it out and he moved her on to harder words including supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! He had an extensive library and no books were off limits to us kids. Dad always let us help him with projects around the house, yard, and truck. We kids helped him & mom drill insulation holes into our house on Jackson St, climb onto the roof to hang Christmas lights (and throw the bulbs down onto the sidewalk to watch them explode!).
Steve’s best friend, a high school classmate, Skip Stark, and his family moved to Pratt in the early 1970’s while Dad was working at Swinson's Auto Dealership. Dad and Skip were classmates at Attica Highschool. Skip started working at Swinson’s and from then on we ran around with Skip's family. They had four kids and us two so it was always a wild time! Our families played cards, ate suppers together, went on vacations together and even had Thanksgivings together. Dad and Skip were like brothers! Skip was a mechanic and they were always working on some vehicle. Dad and Skip played tennis together and what a sight that was...not too many balls got hit! Dad and Skip rode motorcycles together, went fishing, hunting, ice skating (on the frozen Lemon’s Park Pond in Pratt), sledding in the winter and anything else they could think of to do. The only time it got a little hairy was when all of us kids were down in the toy room (with Terry & Alton Werth’s kids also) and the boys got one side of the door and wouldn’t let all of us girls in! Well, eventually that door was pushed to the ground and the girls got into the toy room! Shawna remembers it was the only time she saw Dad get mad! It was a wonderful time during those years!
Shawna & Shane have some very special memories of Dad and certain songs will always remind us of Dad: “Rubber Ducky” AKA Convoy by C.W. McCall--the 8-track version played in an International truck is the best way to listen to the song by the way--“I Found A Peanut,” and “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” by Ray Stevens. In addition, Dad always listened to Paul Harvey. Dad was a great storyteller and Uncle Wade remembers him telling him how he should “just tell your kids a story at night time so they’ll go to sleep.” Wade told me Dad didn’t just read us “The Three Little Bears,” he recited to us in reverse chronological order!
The year of 1983 turned out to be terrible for our family.
In April/May of 1983, dad was on the truck down in Oklahoma at a farm and was unloading grain. He had his coveralls on and he stepped too close to the auger; it caught his coverall pants leg. It wrapped around his leg, up his torso, and under his armpits before it ripped off over his shoulders and neck. His arm pits were “burned” and also he was “burned” around the neck. The coveralls had a big long zipper and it cut him when it ripped off him. The guys on the farm poured kerosene on dad (that was a very old remedy) and it “burned like everything” but it “sealed” the wounds. Dad drove home in intense pain and didn’t tell mom until he arrived home. She took him to the emergency room at Pratt Hospital where they treated the burns & severe dehydration.
Then, on July 16, 1983, Dad had a horrible truck accident outside Perryton, Texas in which he received severe burns and an extreme head injury. The U-joint broke and blew into the diesel tank catching it on fire. The fire engulfed him severely burning his head, neck, arm, and chest. He jumped out of the truck which was traveling close to 55 mph and hit his head on the pavement which caused a severe head injury. A farmer on a tractor in a field heard the accident, came to help & called an ambulance. Dad was revived four times in the ambulance and two more times at the hospital in Amarillo. He was cared for in the Amarillo hospital, St. Francis & St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, KS, The Brown Ranch Treatment School for Head Injured patients in Austin, Tx, and the Topeka School for the Blind in Topeka, KS. Dad’s life changed forever that day as did the lives of his wife & children. For most of the past 37 years, Dad lived in nursing homes but the absolute best home he lived in was Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the past 18 years. The family would especially like to thank Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the incredible care and love they showered on Dad. “Big Steve” & Kim and many others took care of Dad for almost 18 years and are so very special. Thank-you.
From an unknown author, this poem, “God Made A Trucker” honors Dad and all the truckers out there including son Shane; son-in-law, John Heien; brother Wade; his dad, Dean Anthony; brother-in-law, Mark Reid; nephews James Anthony and Jacob Anthony; Uncle Earl Anthony; cousin, Dennis Leader; relative, Donnie Council; and family friends Darin Dauner and Tom Medrano.
And on the ninth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need someone to help the farmer." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn in a foreign town, inspect his truck, work all day delivering anything and everything we need to survive, care for everyone traveling the roads, then at the end of the day call his family whom he is away from yet again." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to drive a 40-ton truck all night through snow, sleet, and rain with nerves of steel. I need somebody who can repair a truck in zero-degree weather while cars drive by at 70 miles per hour. I need someone who can secure a load to an icy trailer in 40 mile-per-hour wind, and someone who can repair anything with duct tape, baling wire, and elbow grease. I need someone who will drive 600 miles in a single day dodging cars that don't see them in their mirror, then crawl into a foreign bed for a few hours rest. And then longing for their family at home, put in another 600 miles the next day.” So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to lift a hundred pounds, yet gentle enough to wave a small child across the street; who will stop his truck for an hour to save a lost dog or stop to assist a scared, single mom whose car has broken down."
It had to be somebody who'd drive straight and steady for hours upon end. Somebody to drive, repair, load, secure, and unload, and serve others that don’t respect them, and watch out for everyone. Somebody who'd keep a family together from thousands of miles away, never asking anyone for anything. Someone who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Daddy does. So God made a trucker.
Steve was cremated and will be celebrated on Sunday, August 16, at 1pm at the Attica Cemetery. His final resting place will be next to his nephew, Willie Anthony. Pastor Darin Dauner will officiate the graveside celebration service. All are welcome to drive their semi-truck down to the Attica Cemetery and remember The Best Truck Driver Ever and celebrate Dad’s life with us.
All are welcome to drive their Semi-trucks down to the Attica Cemetery to celebrate The Best Truck Driver to Ever Live--Steve Anthony, AKA Rip Van Winkle on Sunday, August 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm Attica Cemetery, Attica, KS
Steve Anthony, age 68 ½ passed from this life and into the hands of Jesus on August 5, 2020 at 7:45pm. He lived in the Prairie Sunset Nursing Home, Pretty Prairie, Kansas.
Steve is survived by his children Shawna (& John) Heien of Louisburg, KS, Shane (& Crystal) Anthony of Anthony, KS; grandchildren Wyatt, Wiley, & Kay Heien, Louisburg, KS; Austin, Dawson, Carson, Cassidy, & Hudson Anthony, Anthony, KS; brother, Wade (& Debbie) Anthony, Pratt, KS; sister, Gayl Lee, Great Bend, KS; Uncle Carl Leader of Woodlawn, Oregon; Aunt Norma Anthony, Lyons, KS; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother, Velma “Peach” (Leader) Anthony on June 13, 2020; father Dean Anthony; sister, Patty Horton; nephew William Anthony; and best friend, Skip Stark.
Steven Dean Anthony was born on Saturday, December 22, 1951 in Attica, KS to Velma (Leader) & Dean Anthony. He graduated from Attica High School in 1969 and married Karen Reid on August 8, 1970. Rip Van Winkle & Snow White had two children, Shawna in 1973 and Shane in 1974. Steve was first and foremost a truck-driver. He worked under his own authority, and also for Anthony & Dauner Trucking, and lastly for Grainliner (owned by his dad).
Dad was an incredible Dad and we were the luckiest kids in the whole world. He took us on many trucking trips with him and we thought the world of him. He was an English Major and he never stopped teaching us correct ways to pronounce words, use proper grammar, and always read stories to us. Even after his accident, this character trait was strong! It was always surprising but comical when he would correct our speech while he was living in the nursing home. In our childhood, Dad would introduce a new word to us every week and we had to practice using it in sentences all week long and we also had to spell it correctly! Shawna remembers not being able to pronounce “aluminum” when she was a kid and that was a great irritation to him! Eventually she figured it out and he moved her on to harder words including supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! He had an extensive library and no books were off limits to us kids. Dad always let us help him with projects around the house, yard, and truck. We kids helped him & mom drill insulation holes into our house on Jackson St, climb onto the roof to hang Christmas lights (and throw the bulbs down onto the sidewalk to watch them explode!).
Steve’s best friend, a high school classmate, Skip Stark, and his family moved to Pratt in the early 1970’s while Dad was working at Swinson's Auto Dealership. Dad and Skip were classmates at Attica Highschool. Skip started working at Swinson’s and from then on we ran around with Skip's family. They had four kids and us two so it was always a wild time! Our families played cards, ate suppers together, went on vacations together and even had Thanksgivings together. Dad and Skip were like brothers! Skip was a mechanic and they were always working on some vehicle. Dad and Skip played tennis together and what a sight that was...not too many balls got hit! Dad and Skip rode motorcycles together, went fishing, hunting, ice skating (on the frozen Lemon’s Park Pond in Pratt), sledding in the winter and anything else they could think of to do. The only time it got a little hairy was when all of us kids were down in the toy room (with Terry & Alton Werth’s kids also) and the boys got one side of the door and wouldn’t let all of us girls in! Well, eventually that door was pushed to the ground and the girls got into the toy room! Shawna remembers it was the only time she saw Dad get mad! It was a wonderful time during those years!
Shawna & Shane have some very special memories of Dad and certain songs will always remind us of Dad: “Rubber Ducky” AKA Convoy by C.W. McCall--the 8-track version played in an International truck is the best way to listen to the song by the way--“I Found A Peanut,” and “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” by Ray Stevens. In addition, Dad always listened to Paul Harvey. Dad was a great storyteller and Uncle Wade remembers him telling him how he should “just tell your kids a story at night time so they’ll go to sleep.” Wade told me Dad didn’t just read us “The Three Little Bears,” he recited to us in reverse chronological order!
The year of 1983 turned out to be terrible for our family.
In April/May of 1983, dad was on the truck down in Oklahoma at a farm and was unloading grain. He had his coveralls on and he stepped too close to the auger; it caught his coverall pants leg. It wrapped around his leg, up his torso, and under his armpits before it ripped off over his shoulders and neck. His arm pits were “burned” and also he was “burned” around the neck. The coveralls had a big long zipper and it cut him when it ripped off him. The guys on the farm poured kerosene on dad (that was a very old remedy) and it “burned like everything” but it “sealed” the wounds. Dad drove home in intense pain and didn’t tell mom until he arrived home. She took him to the emergency room at Pratt Hospital where they treated the burns & severe dehydration.
Then, on July 16, 1983, Dad had a horrible truck accident outside Perryton, Texas in which he received severe burns and an extreme head injury. The U-joint broke and blew into the diesel tank catching it on fire. The fire engulfed him severely burning his head, neck, arm, and chest. He jumped out of the truck which was traveling close to 55 mph and hit his head on the pavement which caused a severe head injury. A farmer on a tractor in a field heard the accident, came to help & called an ambulance. Dad was revived four times in the ambulance and two more times at the hospital in Amarillo. He was cared for in the Amarillo hospital, St. Francis & St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, KS, The Brown Ranch Treatment School for Head Injured patients in Austin, Tx, and the Topeka School for the Blind in Topeka, KS. Dad’s life changed forever that day as did the lives of his wife & children. For most of the past 37 years, Dad lived in nursing homes but the absolute best home he lived in was Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the past 18 years. The family would especially like to thank Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the incredible care and love they showered on Dad. “Big Steve” & Kim and many others took care of Dad for almost 18 years and are so very special. Thank-you.
From an unknown author, this poem, “God Made A Trucker” honors Dad and all the truckers out there including son Shane; son-in-law, John Heien; brother Wade; his dad, Dean Anthony; brother-in-law, Mark Reid; nephews James Anthony and Jacob Anthony; Uncle Earl Anthony; cousin, Dennis Leader; relative, Donnie Council; and family friends Darin Dauner and Tom Medrano.
And on the ninth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need someone to help the farmer." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn in a foreign town, inspect his truck, work all day delivering anything and everything we need to survive, care for everyone traveling the roads, then at the end of the day call his family whom he is away from yet again." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to drive a 40-ton truck all night through snow, sleet, and rain with nerves of steel. I need somebody who can repair a truck in zero-degree weather while cars drive by at 70 miles per hour. I need someone who can secure a load to an icy trailer in 40 mile-per-hour wind, and someone who can repair anything with duct tape, baling wire, and elbow grease. I need someone who will drive 600 miles in a single day dodging cars that don't see them in their mirror, then crawl into a foreign bed for a few hours rest. And then longing for their family at home, put in another 600 miles the next day.” So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to lift a hundred pounds, yet gentle enough to wave a small child across the street; who will stop his truck for an hour to save a lost dog or stop to assist a scared, single mom whose car has broken down."
It had to be somebody who'd drive straight and steady for hours upon end. Somebody to drive, repair, load, secure, and unload, and serve others that don’t respect them, and watch out for everyone. Somebody who'd keep a family together from thousands of miles away, never asking anyone for anything. Someone who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Daddy does. So God made a trucker.
Steve was cremated and will be celebrated on Sunday, August 16, at 1pm at the Attica Cemetery. His final resting place will be next to his nephew, Willie Anthony. Pastor Darin Dauner will officiate the graveside celebration service. All are welcome to drive their semi-truck down to the Attica Cemetery and remember The Best Truck Driver Ever and celebrate Dad’s life with us.
Steve Anthony, age 68 ½ passed from this life and into the hands of Jesus on August 5, 2020 at 7:45pm. He lived in the Prairie Sunset Nursing Home, Pretty Prairie, Kansas.
Steve is survived by his children Shawna (& John) Heien of Louisburg, KS, Shane (& Crystal) Anthony of Anthony, KS; grandchildren Wyatt, Wiley, & Kay Heien, Louisburg, KS; Austin, Dawson, Carson, Cassidy, & Hudson Anthony, Anthony, KS; brother, Wade (& Debbie) Anthony, Pratt, KS; sister, Gayl Lee, Great Bend, KS; Uncle Carl Leader of Woodlawn, Oregon; Aunt Norma Anthony, Lyons, KS; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Steve was preceded in death by his mother, Velma “Peach” (Leader) Anthony on June 13, 2020; father Dean Anthony; sister, Patty Horton; nephew William Anthony; and best friend, Skip Stark.
Steven Dean Anthony was born on Saturday, December 22, 1951 in Attica, KS to Velma (Leader) & Dean Anthony. He graduated from Attica High School in 1969 and married Karen Reid on August 8, 1970. Rip Van Winkle & Snow White had two children, Shawna in 1973 and Shane in 1974. Steve was first and foremost a truck-driver. He worked under his own authority, and also for Anthony & Dauner Trucking, and lastly for Grainliner (owned by his dad).
Dad was an incredible Dad and we were the luckiest kids in the whole world. He took us on many trucking trips with him and we thought the world of him. He was an English Major and he never stopped teaching us correct ways to pronounce words, use proper grammar, and always read stories to us. Even after his accident, this character trait was strong! It was always surprising but comical when he would correct our speech while he was living in the nursing home. In our childhood, Dad would introduce a new word to us every week and we had to practice using it in sentences all week long and we also had to spell it correctly! Shawna remembers not being able to pronounce “aluminum” when she was a kid and that was a great irritation to him! Eventually she figured it out and he moved her on to harder words including supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! He had an extensive library and no books were off limits to us kids. Dad always let us help him with projects around the house, yard, and truck. We kids helped him & mom drill insulation holes into our house on Jackson St, climb onto the roof to hang Christmas lights (and throw the bulbs down onto the sidewalk to watch them explode!).
Steve’s best friend, a high school classmate, Skip Stark, and his family moved to Pratt in the early 1970’s while Dad was working at Swinson's Auto Dealership. Dad and Skip were classmates at Attica Highschool. Skip started working at Swinson’s and from then on we ran around with Skip's family. They had four kids and us two so it was always a wild time! Our families played cards, ate suppers together, went on vacations together and even had Thanksgivings together. Dad and Skip were like brothers! Skip was a mechanic and they were always working on some vehicle. Dad and Skip played tennis together and what a sight that was...not too many balls got hit! Dad and Skip rode motorcycles together, went fishing, hunting, ice skating (on the frozen Lemon’s Park Pond in Pratt), sledding in the winter and anything else they could think of to do. The only time it got a little hairy was when all of us kids were down in the toy room (with Terry & Alton Werth’s kids also) and the boys got one side of the door and wouldn’t let all of us girls in! Well, eventually that door was pushed to the ground and the girls got into the toy room! Shawna remembers it was the only time she saw Dad get mad! It was a wonderful time during those years!
Shawna & Shane have some very special memories of Dad and certain songs will always remind us of Dad: “Rubber Ducky” AKA Convoy by C.W. McCall--the 8-track version played in an International truck is the best way to listen to the song by the way--“I Found A Peanut,” and “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” by Ray Stevens. In addition, Dad always listened to Paul Harvey. Dad was a great storyteller and Uncle Wade remembers him telling him how he should “just tell your kids a story at night time so they’ll go to sleep.” Wade told me Dad didn’t just read us “The Three Little Bears,” he recited to us in reverse chronological order!
The year of 1983 turned out to be terrible for our family.
In April/May of 1983, dad was on the truck down in Oklahoma at a farm and was unloading grain. He had his coveralls on and he stepped too close to the auger; it caught his coverall pants leg. It wrapped around his leg, up his torso, and under his armpits before it ripped off over his shoulders and neck. His arm pits were “burned” and also he was “burned” around the neck. The coveralls had a big long zipper and it cut him when it ripped off him. The guys on the farm poured kerosene on dad (that was a very old remedy) and it “burned like everything” but it “sealed” the wounds. Dad drove home in intense pain and didn’t tell mom until he arrived home. She took him to the emergency room at Pratt Hospital where they treated the burns & severe dehydration.
Then, on July 16, 1983, Dad had a horrible truck accident outside Perryton, Texas in which he received severe burns and an extreme head injury. The U-joint broke and blew into the diesel tank catching it on fire. The fire engulfed him severely burning his head, neck, arm, and chest. He jumped out of the truck which was traveling close to 55 mph and hit his head on the pavement which caused a severe head injury. A farmer on a tractor in a field heard the accident, came to help & called an ambulance. Dad was revived four times in the ambulance and two more times at the hospital in Amarillo. He was cared for in the Amarillo hospital, St. Francis & St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, KS, The Brown Ranch Treatment School for Head Injured patients in Austin, Tx, and the Topeka School for the Blind in Topeka, KS. Dad’s life changed forever that day as did the lives of his wife & children. For most of the past 37 years, Dad lived in nursing homes but the absolute best home he lived in was Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the past 18 years. The family would especially like to thank Prairie Sunset Nursing Home for the incredible care and love they showered on Dad. “Big Steve” & Kim and many others took care of Dad for almost 18 years and are so very special. Thank-you.
From an unknown author, this poem, “God Made A Trucker” honors Dad and all the truckers out there including son Shane; son-in-law, John Heien; brother Wade; his dad, Dean Anthony; brother-in-law, Mark Reid; nephews James Anthony and Jacob Anthony; Uncle Earl Anthony; cousin, Dennis Leader; relative, Donnie Council; and family friends Darin Dauner and Tom Medrano.
And on the ninth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need someone to help the farmer." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn in a foreign town, inspect his truck, work all day delivering anything and everything we need to survive, care for everyone traveling the roads, then at the end of the day call his family whom he is away from yet again." So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody willing to drive a 40-ton truck all night through snow, sleet, and rain with nerves of steel. I need somebody who can repair a truck in zero-degree weather while cars drive by at 70 miles per hour. I need someone who can secure a load to an icy trailer in 40 mile-per-hour wind, and someone who can repair anything with duct tape, baling wire, and elbow grease. I need someone who will drive 600 miles in a single day dodging cars that don't see them in their mirror, then crawl into a foreign bed for a few hours rest. And then longing for their family at home, put in another 600 miles the next day.” So God made a trucker.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to lift a hundred pounds, yet gentle enough to wave a small child across the street; who will stop his truck for an hour to save a lost dog or stop to assist a scared, single mom whose car has broken down."
It had to be somebody who'd drive straight and steady for hours upon end. Somebody to drive, repair, load, secure, and unload, and serve others that don’t respect them, and watch out for everyone. Somebody who'd keep a family together from thousands of miles away, never asking anyone for anything. Someone who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Daddy does. So God made a trucker.
Steve was cremated and will be celebrated on Sunday, August 16, at 1pm at the Attica Cemetery. His final resting place will be next to his nephew, Willie Anthony. Pastor Darin Dauner will officiate the graveside celebration service. All are welcome to drive their semi-truck down to the Attica Cemetery and remember The Best Truck Driver Ever and celebrate Dad’s life with us.
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