Dear Equinox Family and Friends,
It is with heavy hearts that we share with you the news of the passing of Steve Melton, our co-owner and Vice President, who left this world suddenly on March 8, 2019. Steve was a devoted conservationist who doggedly pursued his passion for environmental protection each and every day. Steve forged meaningful relationships with absolutely everybody he met and in doing so, cast an expansive web of love and respect over all those in his life.
At Equinox, Steve worked to bridge the gap between human beings and their interaction with and understanding of the natural world. That passion was exemplified through the projects that he managed – restoring ecosystems, improving water quality, protecting land, building partnerships – Steve constructed an unforgettable legacy through his work. He radiated energy, and operated with an uncanny sense of urgency to achieve his goals in spite of his struggles with Lyme disease.
Forever a passionate conservationist, Steve embodied the word both professionally and personally. He worked hard to save his family’s farmland, eventually protecting and restoring it through permanent conservation easement; his pride of that fact was immeasurable. Steve was also an avid hunter and relished the opportunity to escape to the woods, even if it meant an entire day in the stand without even a glimpse of a deer. Hunting was also his favorite avenue for fatherhood – there was no hiding Steve’s pride when he helped Charlie kill, clean, and eat his first squirrel just a few weeks ago.
Steve’s deep connection to the natural world was resolute, so much so that nature just seemed to reach out to him – arrowheads practically unearthed themselves in front of him, chanterelle mushrooms followed him wherever he went, and he would always come back from his farm with the nicest antler sheds. It was as if the natural world understood and was reciprocating his love and respect for the land and its inhabitants.
We will all miss Steve so much – his integrity, kindness, humor, and friendship were one-of-a-kind and absolutely unforgettable, and are the reason that his memory will forever live on in our hearts, minds, and mountains.
