In his way too short life span, Stefan Söderberg lived a full life. He was a very unique person, with a sometimes tormented soul, who deeply touched the lives of those around him.
Already as a child Stefan decided that he was to become an athlete. As a seven year old boy he set out on an intense training program designed by himself. He ran tens of miles a week and trained with heavy weights. Today it's unthinkable that a child would work out like that. But Stefan worked his way to a marvelous physique, and he remained in good shape until the very sad day of his parting from this world.
Stefan began his sports career with soon motocross and in time became quite successful. In a high cost sport Stefan managed on his own by means of second hand equipment and a will power of steel. Motocross was an important part of his life that gave him a lot of friends and experiences he never forgot.
Stefan was also a talented boxer. His strength and determination made him an impressive opponent. He loathed the thought of losing, therefore he went for a quick victory by knockout.
Another of his interests was diving. Stefan got his diver certificate in -94 and then did advanced dives in (among others): Egypt, Thailand, Sicily and his "second home" Rhodos.
Stefan's father was the musician Kurt Söderberg. From him Stefan inherited a lifelong passion for music. As a teenager Stefan listened to his idols Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. With a great musical talent Stefan in time became a wonderful singer himself. In 1992 he founded his own band, Nameless, which he continued to work with all his life. Nameless had a wide and popular repetoir which included everything from Creedence to Black Sabbath. For eight years Stefan was also the lead singer in the band Pedalens Pågar.
A big heart was the blessing as well as the curse of Stefan's life.
He had many friends and always went out of his ways to keep in touch and be considerate towards those he cared about. His ability to be straight forward, talking right out of his heart and making people feel important and appreciated, was as rare as it was unswedish.
When Stefan was in the mood for it, he could be as much fun as any stand-up comedian. He was a knockout - with all of his sharp words, his quick mind, the black humour and his uncanny ability to imitate people.
Stefan was not afraid to show his emotions and to be vulnerable.He could cry and say that he was hurt, without losing face at all. His big heart were always extra soft when animals were involved, and at times he used his impressive image to defend those that were weak and dependant.
The same straightforwardness that could be so pleasant made him speak his mind, often in a harsh way, when something didn't go his way. Stefan was overly sensitive and seemingly unforgiving and he had an incredible memory. His expectations of himself and others were often too high which made him disappointed and sad at many occasions. And he was devastated when he lost someone dear to him.
The greatest loss of Stefan's life was losing the son of his heart - sixteen year old Chivas. Chivas was a sweet hearted, brave and loyal golden retriever, who spent all of his life at Stefan's side. Chivas passed away on the 13th of January 2004. Stefan never fully recovered from that. He often talked about Chivas and always kept his memory alive. A much needed consolation was Rockie, a grand basset with an equally grand personality. For two years Rockie was Chivas' younger brother, and when the time came he took over Chivas' role as Stefan's best friend.
Kiki, Stefan's girlfriend since 13 years, was his everlasting support, his soulmate and love. She and Stefan shared the same appetite for adventures, a very special sense of humour, their affection for animals and a passion for Rock'n Roll. Every year Kiki and Stefan spent several weeks on the island of Rhodos, which in time became like a second home for them. And every year there were standing ovations for Stefan as he sang at the favourite clubs, Colorado and Sticky Fingers.
When Stefans's days as an active athlete was over, he begun a heartbreaking and lifelong struggle against the dark side of his life, a love-and-hate relationship to alcohol.. So badly did he want and need to win that battle. And for extended periods of time it seemed as thought that was actually happening. Unfortunately it was not to be...
Stefan was the most sincere, present and warm hearted person, and he touched all of our lives. During his 45 years he grabbed a hold of life and squeezed more out of it than many people do during a long life time. Still he leaves us with so much unsaid and not done.
Since I got to know Stefan almost a decade ago he has been a dear friend occupying a big part of my heart. I, and so many with me, will always miss him.
The world lost so much when you went Stefan!
/Words by Stefan's friend Shalini - with inspiration from Kiki