‘Why Steve?’ : Olin Remembered Fondly by Friends, Family and Teammates at Service

The ashes of Cleveland Indian pitcher Steve Olin were buried high in the Tualatin Mountains on Sunday as about 300 people jammed the small chapel of Skyline Funeral Home.

Olin was remembered by family, friends and teammates as a loving husband and father with an infectious sense of humor. His ashes were interred with mementos of his life.

Olin, 27, and teammate Tim Crews, 31, were killed last Monday when their 18-foot bass boat hit a dock on Little Lake Nellie, near the Indians’ training camp in Winter Haven, Fla.

“Life has many mysteries,” team chaplain Tom Petersburg said of the suddenness of the deaths. “Why Steve? Why now?”

Olin’s wife, Patti, greeted friends at the chapel door with warm smiles and hugs between sniffles. She was surrounded by family members, including her parents and Olin’s sisters, Joell and Heather.

The crowd sat silently before the ceremony as rose petals from bowls and baskets of flowers drifted to the floor beneath a large photograph of Olin in his Indian uniform.

Andy Boone, a close friend, said he and Olin had known each other since Raleigh Hills Little League. They were roommates at Portland State University, where Olin had won an athletic scholarship.

He recalled Olin eating macaroni and cheese for breakfast in their college days. “Breakfast of champions,” he said. The mourners smiled.

“Steve was the kind of man that I think every good man tries to be,” Boone said, praising Olin’s commitment to his children--Alexa, Garrett and Kaylee--and his wife.

“As a husband, I don’t think a woman could ask for a finer man,” Boone said. “Their relationship inspired many people.”

After sharing boyhood memories of Olin and Olin’s family, Boone relinquished the pulpit to Cleveland pitcher Kevin Wickander, who was flanked by six teammates.

Wickander sobbed openly and cleared his throat.

“There was a side to Stevie that not a lot of you might understand,” Wickander said, his voice wavering. “He was a major part of my life.”

Drafted by Cleveland in 1987, Olin played rookie baseball in Burlington, N.C., and worked his way up through the farm system. He made his big league debut in 1989, and had his first full year with Cleveland last season, when he led his team in saves with 29.

“Stevie was such a great family man. He would never do anything until he had Patti’s permission,” Wickander said.

The service closed with Garth Brooks’ recording of “The Dance.”