If you had met Steve Rarig, well, you never would have forgotten him. He had a way of filling the room with his loud laughter and boisterous words from the moment he walked in. Truly, Steve was one of those people who “never met a stranger.” He had the happiest blue eyes, and they lit up the most when in the presence of any of his grandchildren, who meant the world to him, as he meant the world to them.
Steve grew up on the same street as most of his cousins in Lafayette, California, which made for a fun and memorable childhood. The Rarig’s spent many summers at the family cabin on the Truckee River in North Lake Tahoe, near the Olympic Valley. Lifelong friendships developed with neighboring Von Der Ahe and Kudrna families as Steve and his siblings spent their days playing on the river, enjoying their own swimming hole, fishing, kayaking and hiking places like Big Chief, Shirley Lake, and Painted Rock. In winter, the family returned to the cabin, where they built makeshift ski runs on the mountainside, nurturing their love for downhill skiing. Throughout the years, these rich family traditions carry on allowing the younger generations to bond with past generations.
Steve was a mischievous child, and his antics often got him into trouble. One incident involved throwing a banana peel at his Spanish teacher, which led his parents to enroll him in De La Salle, an all-boys Christian Brothers high school. After graduation, Steve attended UCSB, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geography while also pursuing his next outdoor passion—surfing. During college he formed lasting friendships with his roommates, sharing memories of surfing and hiking in the mountains behind Santa Barbara. He remained close with John Ritter, Dave Seifer, and Bill Koch, friends who continued to gather each year to spend time at the famous surfing spot, Cardon, Mexico. It was here that Steve acquired his favorite nickname, Baño, which stuck with him throughout his life.
Surfing brought Steve a sense of serenity and meditation. After college, he and his brother John sojourned to Switzerland to learn the technique of Transcendental Meditation from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. They returned to the U.S. with the knowledge to teach others this meditation technique. Steve was deeply spiritual and faithfully started out each morning with meditation to keep him calm and grounded. Upon returning to the states, Steve and his elder brother John started working for their father Jack, who managed Moran Pipe and Supply, a wholesale plumbing supply business and building warehouses serving parts of California and Nevada. This career path led the brothers to the surfing town of Cayucos, California.
Steve was loyal, generous, hardworking, fair, and honest – traits that helped him build a successful commercial construction company, Rarig Construction, with his brother John in the early 1970s. A few years later, they were joined by their younger brothers, Nick and Chris Rarig. Rarig Construction remains a thriving business to this day helping shape the Central Coast, which was a source of great pride for Steve. When Steve retired in March 2021, his son Stephen became a partner in the company alongside Chris Rarig and Chris’s son, Michael Rarig. Steve was highly respected by those who knew him, including Rarig employees, various local contractors, developers, and officials at the County and City levels, with whom he collaborated on numerous projects.
Steve loved living in Cayucos which he constantly referred to as paradise. He and his then wife, Patricia Facer, raised their three children, Kevin, Kellie and Stephen where they have many fond memories growing up on the ocean. Steve was an amazing father who always attended his kid’s school and sporting events. He never passed up a moment to be present in his family’s life and show his love and support every step of the way.
In 2004 Steve met his love, who lit up his life, Dawn Borst, and together they spent twenty wonderful years enjoying their Central Coast lifestyle. After retirement, they traveled to many places, including visiting Dawn’s extended family in Denmark, scuba diving in Honduras, Fiji, Hawaii and Catalina Island. They also visited Italy, Croatia, and Ireland, where Steve and Dawn explored the ancestry of his mother’s family, the Morans. Always together, Steve and Dawn enjoyed snow skiing, camping, and music festivals, always with an eye on spending time each year with family and friends at the Tahoe Cabin.
Steve had many nicknames but one of his most treasured was “Papa.” A name that brought him great joy and happiness. Being ‘Papa’ was a role that he stepped into naturally and fully embraced with his grandchildren.
Steve Rarig passed away at home on July 28, 2024, at the age of 73, from metastatic liver cancer with his family by his side. He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Virginia his siblings John (Laurie Leary), Nick (Tami) and Nancy. He is survived by his life partner, Dawn Borst, sons Kevin Drake and Stephen (Brittney) and daughter Kellie (Dave), grandchildren Nikko, Bradley, Lily, Tristan and Boden, brother Chris (Patti), sisters-in-law Tami (Nick) and Laurie Leary (Dave), as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Steve leaves behind many people who loved him, a smile as big as the moon and Irish eyes that sparkled like the stars.
A private celebration of life will be held, September 28, 2024, at 3 p.m. at their home in Cayucos followed by a paddle-out the next day on September 29, 2024, at the north side of the Cayucos Pier at 9 a.m.
