Estephan (Steven) Philip Chavez was a funny and loving little boy. Even as a child, he was an old soul. He had a quick wit and loved to make people laugh by imitating his favorite stars (Robert DiNiro and Al Pacino) but with the voices of like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, and also Tony Montana in “Scarface.” His family started to call him their own little “Tony Montana.”

“Steven loved school and God, and we were all so amazed at his knowledge of the world and things around him,” said his aunt, Kathleen Rush. His favorite pastimes were Playstation and playing with his friends, especially his cousin Enrique. The two were inseparable.

On a sad day in September 2006, 10-year-old Steven was hit by an SUV while crossing the street. “You’re never prepared to lose a member of your family, but when his mother, Charmain, was asked if she wanted to donate any of his organs after he had been pronounced brain dead, she didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes.’ She knew that this is what Steven would have wanted her to do,” said Kathleen.

His cousin Leanne Martinez added that “He always knew just what to do to bring you up when you were down. Even though I would tease him for talking so much, that was actually one of his best qualities. He could start a conversation with anyone, which made it easy for other people to see how special he was.

“Estephan brought so much joy to our family and through organ donation is able to provide his joy to others as well.”