Submitted
“Deli” Steve Van Nostrand
By Ned Dyer
Heaven is the place to be … at least it kinda seems that way. In the last week, two of our close friends, Deli Steve Van Nostrand and Louie “Little Flower” Belfore have climbed the golden stairs. Deli had earned his wings long before his ascension, but if St. Peter, for any reason, didn’t open the pearlies in a timely fashion, Louie would have already found the side door.
Deli and Lou were both tightly woven into the fabric of the Killington Community. Deli Steve–carpenter, bartender, tennis player, keeper or birds, speaker of Japanese (go figure)–flew under the radar. Louie–bar owner, bartender, former Vermont State Trooper and one of the funniest human beings to haunt the Access Road–did it his way. Although different in some ways, they were the same in many, many ways. They were both front runners when it came to supporting a community event, and rock solid when it came to lending a supporting hand, and always with incredible senses of humor.
I once went to Dania, Florida, with Deli for a haircut. I swore I would go back, it was the best haircut I ever had. The road trips to Fort Lauderdale with Louie in the big black Caddy with the “Shula” license plates were classic. Both Louie and Deli loved to have fun, but the bottom line is they were real good friends.
Miss them? You bet. But now they’re with Kenny, Danny, Chuck, Tuna, Teddy, Chet, Pablo, Frizzy, Billy R., John O.D., Franco, Ken K., Leo and Red and all the rest of the Killington crew and you can bet they’re planning some kind of shenanigans. I just hope the archangels have a sense of humor.
