John Stephen "Steve" Behrens

John Stephen Behrens, “Steve” to his friends, was born on July 16, 1952 in Clinton, IA to loving parents, John A. and Shirley (nee Grumstrump) Behrens. Steve’s father, being in his mid 40’s, was so excited to have a son so they added another son Paul to the family a few years later. Steve said he had the most perfect childhood. His father would take the whole month of August off and they would spend it on a houseboat on the Mississippi River. Steve and Paul, when they were a bit older, were able to take a flat boat out by themselves in the back waters and try not to get into too much trouble… Oh except when their can of worms got loose in their mother’s refrigerator one night. No more worms ever inside the living quarters.

Steve attended school in Clinton and graduated high school in 1970. After graduation, he enlisted in the Iowa National Guard in 1971. He attended Officer School and left service as a 2nd Lieutenant. Steve was set up on a date with Barbara Kay Dunk by friends and soon after they started their life together getting married in 1978. In 1983, daughter Brianna was born, and younger sister Brittany was added to the family in 1985.

Steve, then known as John at work for business, worked for Interstate Power at the power plant unloading coal barges and other things. He was able to move “Uptown” and got a job as a Service Man, reading meters and searching for and fixing gas leaks.

Barb and Steve enjoyed making their own pottery and running their shop, Olde Brick Gallery, in Clinton. On the weekends, they would do the art shows in the area and travel to Florida selling their work. One day Barb heard that art fair glass artists moved to Mt. Carroll so off they went to meet them. And they did. That’s where Steve’s connection to friends in Mt. Carroll started. He would stop and eat lunch with his art fair friends after reading meters. Barb sometimes would meet them and bring other artist friends with to join him. For many years Steve and Barb would be happy throwing pots, doing the art shows and bringing their girls with. They even had a booth at the Renaissance Faire. He went to clown school and learned how to make balloon animals to entertain kids. He never stopped working hard throwing pots until Barb came down with bile duct cancer. She fought hard for six years to stay with her family but lost her battle in May, 2002.

Steve stopped in Mt Carroll just days before losing Barb, after reading meters and happened to catch his artist friend Char to let her know about his Beloved. Char told him she would help him with anything he and his family needed.

After losing Barb, later that summer, Steve offered to help Char with going to the art shows as she was newly single. That’s where both of their artist friends were, and it got Steve out of the house. On the weekends, when not doing shows, Steve hung more in Mt. Carroll meeting more friends in the area. Soon things changed for both Char and Steve, after knowing each other for 10 years, they decided that they could make a life together going forward. Fast forward to Sept 20, 2003, when they got married in Mt. Carroll, joined by friends, they invited everyone to come and share a meal with them. Steve was happy that he received a bonus daughter, Trinity (Kevin Saunders), and grandson, Justin, when he married Char.

In a few years, Steve was lucky to be able to give both his girls, Bri and Brit, away to their childhood sweethearts, Martin Bovis and Josh Paul, when they got married. The family has since grown to what it is with teenagers, Bri’s twins Ryleigh and Anthony, Brit’s Jack and almost teenager, Westley. Justin married his sweetheart Dre, and had their sons, Ayden and Riley too.

Steve and Char continued to live in Clinton because of his job with Alliant Energy (the old Interstate Power) until he retired after 35 yrs. Then they moved to Mt. Carroll full time. He always said he stopped working for the man and started working for the woman. Char and Steve continued to do art shows, then doing wholesale shows to sell her work directly to stores and shops. He was always the muscle he said. The trips to the wholesale shows were always an adventure with Char working the map he would say. He never knew where she would tell him to turn or where they could end up, right left, east or west. Devil’s Tower, WY on the way to Las Vegas. Out in the middle of nowhere to have lunch at the Little A’le’Inn in Rachel, NV outside of Area 51, Café du Monde, New Orleans or the Turquoise Room at the La Posada in Winslow, AZ.

Living in Mt. Carroll, he enjoyed being with friends, mostly sharing meals, lots of meals if you haven’t seen a theme of eating yet, and enjoyed music when he could. His lunch friend, Dick Kehl, got him to join up with the American Legion since he was in the National Guard. Steve was so proud that he made the top ten percent in his officer’s training class, scoring higher than other guys fresh out of ROTC. Dick nudged him to help with Military Rites at funerals. He was proud to provide this service of honor to the veteran’s families. He was also on the board of the Carroll County Veteran’s Assistance Commission.

One summer, he saw a man doing huge bubbles. He thought “Hey I can try that.” He researched on how to do this and soon he was bubbling all around. Building large bubble nets to entertain the local kids and adults at community events, small music concerts and for local school classes. When he did them for church events, he was always so happy to be paid with a pie. Boo bubbles in the fall and even frozen bubbles and painting with bubbles at the library. He had small nets so the kids could play too. He was the all-around science guy, helping when he could.

Steve said he was always really lucky finding two great loves and having a great family and friends to enjoy life with. On April 1, 2022 he thought he had Bell’s Palsy and went in to have it checked. Scans showed something worse. Glioblastoma, a rare very aggressive brain tumor. He went through surgeries, chemo and radiation treatments, his Optune device. In the end he wasn’t strong enough. Steve passed Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.

Along with his family, he will be greatly missed by his Charlies’ Lunch Bunch, pool playing Best Bud Doug, “Girlfriend” Jo Ann, Carla and the rest of the Jazzercise gals that kept him in shape, Cribbage Bud Steve, the morning Breakfast Bunch at McD’s. And thanks to Eddie for making all those great meals, it was the only thing Steve craved to eat during his illness. Steve is preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara, grandparents, parents, his brother, Paul and his infant grandson, Alexander.

Per his wishes, his brain is being donated to UW Madison Hospital for research on Glioblastoma. And please, please also PER HIS WISHES in leu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the American Brain Tumor Association (abta.org for more info) so that more research can be done on these kinds of brain tumors and others. Unfortunately, he missed a promising trial by 2 weeks. Hopefully, with more research we can work together to find a cure. Thanks to everyone that loved him.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:30am Saturday, January 13, 2024 at Law Jones Funeral Home in Mt. Carroll, with Military Rites by the Mt. Carroll American Legion. Visitation with family and friends will be held 4 – 7pm Friday, January 12, 2024 at Law Jones Funeral Home in Mt. Carroll.