Peacefully at home, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in his 62nd year. Beloved husband of Jane (nee Mann). Cherished father of Danielle. Dear brother of Bill (Carole), Mike (Mary), and Paul (Jodi). Brother -in-law of Shelley (Bert) Vanderwel, Harold (Karen) Mann, Bart (Kirsty) Mann, and Carol (Steve) Weir. He will be sadly missed by many nieces and nephews.
Steve Sawyer was not a man that could be described by simple adjectives, but rather by concepts. He was driven by hard work and determination. He was a visionary, an entrepreneur, an architect, a builder, an artist, a teacher, and most importantly a true friend. Steve was born in Oshawa Ontario. At the age of 15, he moved to Grafton when his dad purchased Shelter Valley Park campground which consisted of 13 campsites, a picnic pavilion, and a rickety old slide. It was from this day that the course of Steve’s life would forever be changed. Steve worked hand in hand with his dad, Bill, cutting trees, clearing sites, and running hydro and water to help expand the campground. This went on for many years as Steve worked to build a mini putt course, swimming pond, shuffleboard and volleyball courts. Today the campground has 166 sites and is predominantly full of seasonal trailers with some campers calling the park their summer home for as many as 40 years.
After graduating from high school, Steve went to the University of Waterloo where he studied Kinesiology. He could continually be heard saying that the most important thing his degree taught him was that he could learn anything he wanted to by reading a book. With this mindset, he returned home from school and decided that he was going to build a golf course. His dad Bill, however, was not fully on board with this, so Steve and Bill negotiated a deal where Steve bought the campground in 1996. After buying the campground Steve then decided that, despite not having any money, or knowing anything about building a golf course he was going to build one.
Steve had three very special defining qualities; passion, the belief that no task was ever too hard to learn, and that God had his back. These qualities alone may not amount to much, but when put together they can create something so magical; something that may not even seem possible in a dream. This is exactly what he did. He had a passion and love for golf that was indescribable. This was coupled with a belief in himself that was so strong that despite all of the odds against him and the mountain of work in front of him, he knew God would make it possible. A family member can be recalled saying “I had no idea what I was looking at. There was a forest of trees and three feet of poison ivy everywhere. Steve was describing where a particular golf hole was going to be, where the tee-off would go, and where the green was going to be, and all I could think was that he was crazy. I could not understand how in a forest of trees, he was able to see a golf hole”. This was the most miraculous thing about Steve, he was a visionary. He was able to see things that other people could not. He saw hundreds of trees and valleys and thought if I cut those trees down and move forty feet of dirt with a bulldozer, then I will have a signature golf hole.
With this mindset, he walked into the forest with a chainsaw one winter and just started the job. There were thousands of hours spent cutting down trees, clearing out the brush, using the bulldozer to move tons of dirt and stone from one location to another, picking out rocks, raking, putting in an irrigation system, and then finally planting the grass. During this twenty-year journey, there were many tasks and obstacles, but Steve did not let any of them stop him, and he never stopped learning. He was a perfectionist and wanted his work to be impeccable. For this reason, he always wanted the jobs to be done himself. Therefore he learned everything there was to learn about both building and maintaining a golf course. The employees of the golf course do not always have the most enjoyable jobs, especially during the building process. Raking for eight hours straight in one location can be beyond tedious, but the employees could never complain because every job they did Steve did too. He would never assign a job that he wouldn’t do himself. Whether it was raking all day, fixing the sewage system, splitting wood, or working on the bulldozer, nothing was beyond his dignity. He was beyond humble with his work and he never flaunted that he was the owner and designer. When the course was finally opened and he had completed the building phase, Steve could most often be found on the golf course from dusk to dawn looking and working like a laborer. Golfers would often speak to him and have no idea that the man they were talking to was the architect who was responsible for the beauty that they were seeing and experiencing.
He joked that his hands were like Picasso, but he was a different type of artist. His canvas was not a blank sheet of paper, but rather a forest of trees, and he did not use paintbrushes to create his masterpiece, but rather a bulldozer and a chainsaw. He was an architect, but his supplies were not concrete, wood, and glass, but rather grass, sand and water. He was a doctor, but not of sick and injured people, but of grass. For him, he had nineteen patients and his job was to make sure that every summer and every winter all nineteen patients were as healthy as possible despite the days of drought, the days that were cold, and the days that were hot and muggy. He went to great lengths to keep all of those patients as healthy as possible. When disease struck he did not prescribe drugs, but rather chemicals and water. Much like a parent, he did not have a favourite hole, but he said each was unique and special in its own way and each hole had its challenges during the building process. For Steve, when you asked him how he was able to build the course he would say things like “God worked through me, I had no training, I didn’t even know how to drive a bulldozer when I first started. But, I had a feeling and a dream, and I am truly not sure how I was able to do what I did”.
For Steve the golf course was more than just a material thing, it was his heart and soul. It was a labor of love, a passion, and a dream. Through building the golf course and campground he created a place that has brought many people laughs, happiness, and solace in their trying times. It turned employees into friends and friends into family. Once people came to the valley they found peace, tranquility, and comfort in the serenity of the beauty. We can thank Steve for creating a place that has allowed for many memories to be made. He was an inspiration. He was like a modern-day superhero who wore many hats and managed to touch the lives of many people. He was a loyal friend, he was a great brother, a wonderful husband, and the most supportive and loving dad that a daughter could ask for.
He passed along many life lessons and he will be missed dearly by many friends and family. He fought hard during his short battle with cancer and although his masterpiece may not have been finished we know he is perfecting his golf game in heaven. A celebration of life will take place at a later date to pay tribute to Steve.
Thank you to the staff of St. Elizabeth’s Health Care and Dr. Mulé who allowed Steve to enjoy his final weeks at home in the comfort of his family and friends. In Steve’s memory, donations may be made to the Hospital for Sick Children or the Northumberland Hills Hospital.
Due to the COVID restrictions, there will be a private funeral for the family next week. In lieu of a wake a drive-by parade will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 1 pm open to all who wish to come and pay their respects. We ask that you meet at the Grafton arena parking lot at 12:45. In order to minimize our impact on local traffic we will proceed from the Grafton arena on Highway 2 east to Vernonville Road. We will then take Vernonville Road north to Telephone Road and west on Telephone Road to the park entrance. At this point the family will be present near the mini golf for you to pay your respects. When leaving we ask that you proceed south on Shelter Valley Road. Please do not leave your vehicle at any point.

Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Stephen John
Sawyer 2020..

maccoubrey funeral home

Death notice for the town of: Cobourg, Province: Ontario

death notice Stephen John
Sawyer 2020

mortuary notice Stephen John
Sawyer 2020