Steve Myers

WHEELING – Steve Myers was more than a baseball coach and special education teacher at Wheeling Park. He was also a father, husband and good friend to many in the Friendly City, and beyond.

Myers passed away earlier this week from hairy cell leukemia – a rare type of chronic leukemia affecting the white blood cells – at the age of 50. His sudden death has left a void in many people’s lives, including his wife, Betsy, and children, Grace, Gabby and Luke. However, his life was all about his family.

Myers was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia in late August, shortly after he and his family celebrated Luke’s 21st birthday while watching Myers’ beloved Atlanta Braves play the Guardians in Cleveland. A little more than a week ago, Myers oldest daughter, Grace, got married in the family’s living room and Steve was able to be present.

Myers second love centered around his passion on the baseball diamond where he led his alma mater – Wheeling Park – from 2019-25.

He made many, many friendships over the course of his playing, and coaching careers, but none more than his with proverbial “brother from another mother” Chad Stout.

“I was 15 and Steve was 16 when we first met to play for the Mountaineer Palomino baseball team which was, really, the first summer travel baseball team to come around the Ohio Valley,” Stout recalled. “That’s where I met my big brother .. my best friend. It’s where kids from John Marshall and Wheeling Park could play together. It was a neat thing because we were rivals, but you could see the bond grow between all of us.

“Steve just had that knack about him that we all wanted to emulate, we didn’t want to let him down. That’s how it’s been for 36 years,” Stout added. “From there it’s been a really beautiful story between him and I. It started with just us, but over the years it developed into our families.

After playing Palomino baseball together, the duo played collegiately at West Liberty and their relationship grew from there.

“We played on some pretty good teams under Coach (Bo) McConnaughy. We had some really good players back then and it’s been both rewarding and healing in the long run to have a lot of those guys come back and see Steve in his final days,” Stout said while holding back his emotions.

“Steve is why I have a job at Wheeling Park. He was a special ed teacher here and then I became a special ed teacher here. We both coached football under coach (Mark) Nardone. Steve was the head freshman coach and I was an assistant under him. When he went up to the varsity, I became the head freshman coach.

“We’ve done a lot of things together. I was always like a little brother, just watching the things he did and the way he did them.”

Eventually the two teamed up to lead the Wheeling Park baseball program, this time with Stout as the head coach and Myers as his assistant. Their time together also led to their families spending more time together.

In fact, Myers served as best man at Stout’s wedding and Stout was the best man at Myers’ wedding. They were godparents for each other’s kids.

“My daughters started taking dance classes because his daughter, Grace, was taking them,” Stout noted. “I hope people can have a friendship like he and I had.”

How close was their relationship? So close that Stout slept on the couch as his best friend took his last breath beside him.

“I spent the night with him,” Stout said, once again choking back the tears. “It was fast. It was something that happened really quick.”

According to Stout, Myers had finished four chemotherapy treatments when things went wrong as he suffered a blood infection and his organs started to fail.

“I met Steve when he was a fullback/linebacker on the 1991 Wheeling Park football team,” said Mark Delbrugge. “I taught with him for 20 years, right next door to him. He was also my paint partner for five years over the summers. He was always level-headed. He never got too worked up. He was always the calm one in the room. A real positive guy … a tremendous baseball guy. He knew the game in-and-out.”

Wheeling Park Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Chris Daugherty said he has known Myers for three decades.

“The thing I always admired about Steve was the man he was,” Daugherty said.

“He never got too high or too low. He understood that baseball and football were there to make young men better. If he had to sacrifice a win to teach a lesson, he would.”

Mike McLeod, a former three-sport standout and baseball coach for the Patriots, said he had nothing but great thoughts and memories of Myers.

“He was the perfect human being that you would always want in your corner for you as a friend and mentor,” he said. “We sat next to each other during homeroom when we went to school. We hung out a lot when we were younger because we both had the same interests.”

McLeod recalled a recent meeting with Myers during his final days.

“I went up to see him and he looked up at me. I was holding his hand on one side and Chad was on the other and he said ‘Mike McLeod.’ ‘I said yes, it’s me Stevie.’ He mumbled something that I wasn’t sure what he said, but then he looked up at me and asked ‘How are you doing? How is your family?’

“That’s the type of guy he was,” McLeod said. “Here he was, possibly taking his last breath, and he’s worried about my family.”

Visitation was held Friday and will be held again from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Kepner Funeral Home in Elm Grove. A celebration of Myers’ life will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. at the JB Chambers Performing Arts Center, 1976 Park View Road.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Steve Myers Memorial Baseball Scholarship, Attn: Foundation, 2203 National Road, Wheeling, WV 26003. Please make the check payable to the Ohio County Schools Foundation with the scholarship name indicated on the memo line.