Stephen M. Dalton, 43, died suddenly Monday, May 13, 2019, at his home in Pittsburgh.
Stephen was born Dec. 9, 1975, in Anchorage, Alaska, but made his home in many places over the years. He grew up in Morgantown but lived in Virginia, New Jersey, Arizona, California, North Carolina, Florida and St. Thomas before moving to Pittsburgh. As he traveled, he worked in many fields but found his true skill as a craftsman in hardwood flooring, which he installed for 15 years, the last eight of which was with his own company, Dalton Brothers, operated with his brother Richard. Stephen was a caring person and very private, so few people got to know and experience the kindness he was capable of. He was sincerely loved by his family and close friends and he will be sorely missed.
He is survived by his mother, Jeanne Strader; father and stepmother, David and Peggy Dalton; maternal grandmother, Bonnie Strader; paternal grandmother, Sara Shrewsbury; two brothers, David and Richard and his wife, Teri; a sister, Bonnie; his nieces, nephews and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; and his dog, Storm.
Stephen pushed his body hard for many years starting as a teenager and suffered from near-constant pain, especially after a 2013 motorcycle accident and spinal fusion surgery. Due in part to the difficult way that we treat people that have chronic pain, he struggled to keep it at bay and turned to other methods to control it when treatment ceased to be effective. He got himself clean again but had difficulty managing the pain afterwards and relapsed. It was that relapse that proved to be too much for him. To those struggling with pain or addiction of any sort please reach out to someone before it’s too late. Someone who loves you wants to help, but can’t if they don’t know what you are dealing with.
A memorial service will be held at Morgantown Brewing Co., 1291 University Ave., Morgantown, in the lower level/speakeasy from 3-8 p.m. Saturday, July 6. All friends and family are welcomed and encouraged to come and share good memories.
