Stephen (G.) Shore

Stephen G. Shore, 53 years of age, of Berlin, died Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center. Born in Hartford, he was raised in West Hartford with three siblings; he picked up a bass guitar when he was 10 years old and never looked back. He attended the Hartford Conservatory of Music, and joined ?Oreo?, a local funk band, shortly after leaving school. Even while doing yard work, Stephen just couldn?t keep his music inside. On sunny summer mornings, neighbors would often wake to his singing at the top of his lungs while riding around on his lawnmower. The lifelong musician never missed an opportunity to share his passion with the world. Stephen was a constant fixture in the New England music scene, playing bass and singing in bands for the majority of his life. After leaving ?Oreo? in 1980, he joined ?Cryer?, a local rock band. Throughout the five years Stephen toured with ?Cryer?, the group opened for national acts like ?Aerosmith?, ?Judas Priest?, ?Black Sabbath? and many others. In 1984, Stephen married Grace Powers of Berlin. The two had a daughter, Stephanie, in 1986. After the birth of his daughter, he put his touring career on hold to spend more time with his family. His post-touring years were spent as the owner of Stay Tuned, a music store and piano shop; Production Manager for Cross Country Concerts; and finally as a certified real estate appraiser with his own business, Accelerated Appraisal. Though Stephen enjoyed his day job, music was his passion, and eventually he reunited with several of the original members of ?Oreo? to create ?The Oreo Project?. His next venture was a classic rock band called ?Last Licks?, who he continued to perform with in local area venues until several months ago. While Stephen was a force to be reckoned with onstage, he also made waves on the Connecticut River, where he loved boating with his friends. He also enjoyed gardening in his beautifully-landscaped yard; attending UConn women?s basketball games with his father-in-law, Art Powers; and cheering for the New York Yankees and Giants. He spent many summers on the beaches of Cape Cod, hunting for clams and oysters and swimming with his family. Stephen wholeheartedly lived his life with tremendous passion for everything he did and for everyone he knew. His fixated smile was as legendary as his unbelievable talent and passion for music. In addition to his wife and daughter, Stephen leaves his parents, Edwin and Priscilla (Glater) Shore of Venice, FL and West Hartford; two sisters, Jerilyn Greenfield and her husband Donald of Wynnewood, PA, and Cynthia Cook and her husband Stuart of Newington; a brother, Michael Shore and his wife Lori of Glastonbury; and many nieces and nephews. A memorial Service will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 1:00 PM at Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington. Memorial donations may be made to the Stephen G. Shore Recovery Trust at www.steveshorerecoveryfund.com. Arrangements are entrusted to Weinstein Mortuary, Hartford. For further information or to share memories of Stephen with his family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.