When Lauren Williams thinks of her fellow nurse and friend, Steven Katz, she can’t help but smile and call him “Mr. Canfield Fair.”
After all, an avid goer of the annual Mahoning County Fair is what Steven called himself.
So, when at age 39, Steven (pictured above, right) unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack, his team members knew exactly how to keep his passion and spirit alive.
“Working with Steve was always a good time,” Lauren shares. “He always found a way to relate to his patients on a personal level and made it his mission to befriend everyone on the unit, whether they wanted to or not. Steve was the jokester of every unit he worked on and could always bring a smile to your face.”
Lauren adds that after one of their coworkers saw a pop-up ad to commemorate a bench at the Canfield Fair, they knew it was the perfect way to honor him.
Brian Slavens, another team member and friend of Steven’s, was instrumental in making the bench a reality. From initial discussions through the bench’s unveiling, Brian was the “backbone” of the process, according to Steven’s family.
As a traveling nurse, Steven provided compassionate care to patients in Boston and Phoenix before returning home to work at Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. All his colleagues remember him as someone who knew what it meant to care for others and impacted everyone that crossed his path.
The bench at the Canfield Fairgrounds bears the name of Steven and commemorates his life, not only as a fellow nurse, but a son, brother and uncle to his family (pictured above, left). By dedicating and purchasing the bench for Steven’s family, our Youngstown nursing team is continuing to answer the call of living out our Mission each and every day.
“To me, this bench means that Steve will always have a permanent place at one of his most beloved places that he looked forward to every year and where others can go and commemorate his life,” Lauren adds.
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