The longer I live at the Lake, the more certain I become that this place hosts a disproportionate share of unique and remarkable people.
But we would be remiss to define someone as remarkable only by the size of their wallet, or boat. More significant is the indelible impact we leave on those we have loved. That’s what makes a life remarkable. And that’s what the lower-half of this page is for.
The Shore team—and so many others in the Lake community—was struck in September 2021 with the sudden, stunning, and utterly awful loss of Dan and Pam Stephan. Dan and Pam lived next door to my family and were dearly loved by our four children. Pam was Shore’s bookkeeper, always keeping a steady eye on our finances. In the days following their deaths, we heard from so many in the community whose lives were deeply impacted by these sweet people who would be—by some definitions, unremarkable. They met the fate we all meet—we are, after all, dust—but they loved the heck out of a lot of people while they could. And that’s worth celebrating.
I don’t mean to make these opening words overly heavy. Rather they are, for me, a reminder that none of us knows the number of our days, so we ought to use them to shore up genuine love, family, and friendship. Those are at the core of the good life that we celebrate in these pages. Here’s to Dan and Pam, and to lives that are measured by love.
–Nathan Bechtold
Editor, SHORE Magazine