It is with the heaviest of hearts that we reflect on Steve Goff — local business stalwart, former FSFA Club President, beloved friend and family man, and fishing fanatic — who passed away unexpectedly on December 23, 2024.

For starters, I cannot believe I am writing this. We were just sitting in your office laughing, talking about fishing, family, the holidays and our plans both personally and professionally for 2025. I have tried to write this multiple times now but every time I do my eyes fill up with tears and I have to walk away. I am really not sure how to write this, should I share what an incredible person and leader you were or just tell you what you mean to me? Maybe I can do both.

I met Steve through a mutual friend of ours Randy Aloise. Randy had joined the Florida Sport Fishing Association (FSFA) and had been pushing me to join. In hind sight, I am so glad I did. He also convinced me to run for a board position which I thought was kind of silly since I had just joined but as fate would have it, I was voted in as a director to serve on the new board. This is where I first met Steve Goff. Steve was the incoming president which means he would run the meetings and also make sure everyone serving on the board was following through with their obligations for the club. Right away, I noticed what an outstanding leader he was. He just commanded respect, he truly led by example and for those of us that were watching like myself, there were some real lessons to be learned. You would think that a board meeting for a fishing club would be all fun and games, yet there were a lot of serious conversations and differing opinions regarding how to accomplish the goals of the club. Sometimes leading to some tense conversations and that’s where Steve shinned brightest. He had a way of respecting everyone’s opinion and also drilling down to decisions that would best benefit the club. He was a true leader indeed and we struck up a fast friendship that would last a lifetime.

We also shared a lot of similar experiences. He coached his sons little league teams when they were growing up and he loved to hear me tell stories about what I was going through coaching my boys teams. Steve was 20 years older than me so he had been there and done that and always had great advice to share. Great coaches see things in people they cannot see in themselves. I really believe that was one of his superpowers. Starting a business from scratch is very hard. Steve knew this all too well. He started a pest control company with his father many years before and built it into a successful business. I leaned on him for a lot of advice, especially when starting Spacefish. He was the first person I approached and asked to be a part of it. He was our first advertiser and he championed our vision. He never took a wait and see approach, he just jumped into the deep end of the pool with us which gave me the confidence I needed to keep pushing. I see that so clearly now. I guess he could see something in me I didn’t see in myself at the time.

Boy did Steve love to fish too! Being out on the ocean with him was always a fun adventure whether we were catching fish or not. We would laugh so hard telling silly stories we literally couldn’t breathe! Steve wasn’t just a fisherman, he was an ambassador for everything fishing. He wanted to see people out fishing and making awesome memories. When I took over as the tournament director for the FSFA Offshore Tournament, Steve was on our tournament committee. It was his idea to add the $5,000 Big Fish Grand Prize to the tournament. He didn’t just suggest it, his business sponsored it. Talk about walking the walk, that’s what he did. He had so many fiends too. I am just one of so many people that Steve made feel like family. I loved any time we would go to lunch, he always picked a place where he knew the owners. He supported his friend’s local businesses fiercely. He was an incredible husband, father and grandfather as well. We had countless conversations about his beautiful wife Marie and his sons, daughters and grandkids. He loved them all so much. He was the true patriarch of his family, always leading by example with love and compassion.

I could write a short story about what this man means to me but what I really want to say is Steve, I love you man, there will definitely be a void in my life without you. I going to miss every time we met that big baritone voice yelling out Big D and your strong handshake and infectious smile. Rest in peace my friend. Wherever you are, I hope you are blessed with as much quiche as one man can handle.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Steve on Saturday, January 18, at 1pm at Kiwanis Island Park.