Brodie Thomas
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 14, 2008

Tuktoyaktuk - Residents of Tuktoyaktuk are trying to come to terms with the loss of a quiet young man who enjoyed the simple pleasures in life and never wanted for anything.

RCMP said Waylon Richard Steen, 25, was killed in a single vehicle ATV accident on July 3. He sustained fatal injuries to his head, throat and upper chest after failing to negotiate a turn and crashing into a telephone pole.

The accident happened at the corner of Beaufort Drive and Old Airport Road.

Steen's mother Betty Elias said her son was a thoughtful young man.

"He always put a lot of thought into what he wanted to say, and then he'd come out with something very wise," said Elias.

Steen drove the water delivery truck in Tuktoyaktuk. He was known to many by the nickname "Spugg" or "Spuggy."

"His dad gave him that nickname, Spuggy, and it stuck," said Elias.

She said her son was always aware of the political world around him and had an opinion on everything. She said he often read Time magazine and followed the news. But while he was aware of the changing world, he preferred to lead a simple life close to the land.

"He loved to go out on the land, especially with his friends. They would share information about the hunting and working with their equipment. He liked the freedom and the fun," said Elias.

Steen's funeral held last Thursday featured a short video of Steen and some of his friends out on the land. One of his best friends, Kevin St. Amand, delivered the eulogy.

"The community just came out in volumes it was overwhelming," said Elias.

This is the second tragedy for the family in less than two years. Steen's father, the late Vince Steen, a former MLA and mayor of Tuk, died of cancer in February 2007.

Elias said Waylon never seemed to have a need for material things in life. He simply found happiness in family and friends.

"He told me before I went to Yellowknife (to go shopping) a couple of weeks ago, he said, 'I don't need anything else in this world, I just got to be happy,'" said Elias.