Tribute to Steve Hermann
January 2014
Regardless of what was going on in Steve’s world, he always had time for his friends. I
appreciated his ability to laugh at himself and not take things too seriously. There will
never be a time when I think about Steve and not smile. He truly had a gift. Thanks
Steve. – Nicole Thieret, Southeast District Customer Relations Manager
I just can’t forget about a story Steve told me about his dad. He said that he would tell
his mom things on his dad, and one day while Steve was riding through the car wash, his
dad rolled down the window while Steve went through for telling on him. It was
hilarious. Steve would also say he would be driving his dad’s car and come home to his
dad’s and when he hit the garage opener, the neighbor’s garage door would open. He
said his dad had cars hidden in all his neighbors’ garages to hide them from his mom. He
was a good friend. He will be missed by many. – Don Edgar, Southeast District Maintenance
Supervisor at Park Hills
I so enjoyed working with Steve because of his boundless enthusiasm and upbeat
approach. More than in his HR responsibilities, I worked with Steve in his role as an
employee representative on our medical care board of trustees. Steve brought great
insight to that role because of private sector positions he held before he ever came to
MoDOT. He helped us understand the challenges we face in light of what nongovernment employees get for medical care benefits. The topics were serious and the
decisions were hard. But Steve knew how to help get us focus forward. He helped us
lead from a position of the positive. He was a role model and contributed a lot to Team
MoDOT. – Roberta Broeker, MoDOT’s Chief Financial Officer
Loved his laugh...It was contagious ~ Loved his quick wit and sense of humor...Always
right on and hilarious ~ Loved his advice, knowledge and worldliness...Always had an
answer ~ Loved his excellent taste...Never settled for anything less ~ Loved his mentoring
ability...He taught me a lot ~ Loved the way he touched my life with his friendship...I will
cherish it forever ~ Most of all, I loved his remarkable legacy of life and the wonderful
memories...I will hold them close to my heart always ~~~ I will be forever grateful and
honored Steve Hermann was my friend. I miss him like crazy! – Kristy Pettit, Southeast
District Senior Human Resources Specialist
Steve Hermann was really a special person. From a professional standpoint, Steve cared
about everyone that he worked for and with. He always listened to all sides of the story
and made recommendations and decisions that took everyone’s needs and desires into
consideration. This approach earned him respect from management and staff alike. He
also had an uncanny ability to solve sticky problems. I knew I could always count on
Steve to give me thoughtful and honest advice. From a personal perspective, Steve was a
loyal and loving friend. He always made you feel that you were important to him. – Beth
Ring, MoDOT’s Information Systems Director
Whenever I had an “off” day, I would call Steve. He would always make me laugh so
hard, life was good again. – Donna Ferkel, Southeast District Human Resources Manager
Tribute to Steve Hermann
January 2014
I appreciated his amazing ability to talk to anyone about anything, no matter whether
the topic was easy or difficult. Steve and his staff handled a huge work load during the
implementation of the Bolder Five Year Direction. During the Bolder Five Year Direction,
Steve and his staff conducted 589 interviews. During a three day time period, his staff
conducted 111 of those interviews. – Becky Baltz, Southwest District Engineer
He was very much an employee advocate. His door was always open for all
employees. He treated everyone with importance, no matter their title or educational
background. He was very much a “people person.” – Jaylyn O’Connor, Southwest District
Human Resources Manager (Jaylyn served as Senior Human Resources Specialist when Steve was SW HR
Manager)
He would go the extra mile to help the employee. Everyone was important to him. – Sandy
Vincent, Southwest District Intermediate Human Resources Specialist
Steve lived with me, two dogs and a cat. It was very obvious that Steve and Maddie (the
cat) were not fond of one another. Every time the cat would wander into Steve’s room,
he would throw a pillow at said cat to run her out of the room. This happened on a daily
basis. On one particular day, I happened to be standing in Steve’s room talking with
him. Steve had taken off his rings and watch and emptied his jeans pocket of change,
placing it on his dresser. Like a bolt of lightning, in flew the cat! Maddie jumped onto
the dresser, looked at Steve, and swiped her paw across the dresser—sending all of his
things flying across the room. She bolted out just like she entered the room. As most of
you who knew Steve probably guessed, kind words did not come out of his mouth. To
this day, every time I tell that story, I laugh until I cry. Along with that story, I have many
more fond memories of Steve Hermann to last a lifetime, and as Red from “Shawshank
Redemption” (one of my favorite movies) would say, “I guess I just miss my friend.” RIP
my dear friend!!! – Sue Sifford, Southeast District Senior Risk Management Technician
I will share one thing with you though that sort of sums up in a quick little sentence
Steve’s infectious laugh. After the funeral, we were all talking about Steve’s infectious
laugh and his friend Brian said, “Yeah, Steve was always one cackle short of a snort.” It
cracked me up and described him perfectly. – Sharon Golden, MoDOT’s Assistant Human
Resources Director
My way of remembering Steve would be his laughter and quick wit. His laugh was
contagious. He was a great storyteller, although we sometimes questioned if some of the
stories were made up. I will always hold the memories of time spent with Steve and Tim
close to my heart. – Melissa Crowley, Southeast District Senior Customer Service Representative
I admired the way Steve could provide honest feedback to an employee, yet make
him/her feel good about it. He made an impact on many lives and will be remembered
as a kind person with a great sense of humor. – Lynelle Luther, Kansas City District Assistant
Resident Engineer
Tribute to Steve Hermann
January 2014
It is in this spirit of gratitude and hope I close with words from William Arthur Ward, who
said:
Every person has the power to make others happy.
Some do it simply by entering a room; – Steve Hermann
others by leaving the room.
Some individuals leave trails of gloom;
others, trails of joy. – Steve Hermann
Some leave trails of hate and bitterness;
others, trails of love and harmony. – Steve Hermann
Some leave trails of cynicism and pessimism;
others trails of faith and optimism. – Steve Hermann
Some leave trails of criticism and resignation;
others trails of gratitude and hope. – Steve Hermann
What kind of trails do you leave? – Kristy Pettit, Southeast District Senior Human
Resources Specialist
Steve Hermann was a good man. He was a good leader and a good professional. Steve
demonstrated expertise in the field of Human Resources coupled with a passion for
people. I believe it takes a special kind of person to be effective in Human Resources. It
requires mastery of the regulations and an ability to make appropriate and often
creative decisions in areas which are rarely black and white. Steve was a master of both
dimensions. He walked the difficult line of maintaining professionalism while being
relaxed, friendly, open and caring. His integrity, character and professionalism were
unquestionable. We were fortunate to have him on our team. But what I will most
remember about Steve Hermann is that he made me feel like we were friends from the
moment we met. His radiant smile and energetic manner were a powerful presence. I
instantly knew that Steve was someone that I would be happy to know. Though I will
certainly miss him, that spirit will never be forgotten. – Rudy Nickens, MoDOT’s Equal
Opportunity and Diversity Manager
As you might expect, HR folks deal with some really difficult issues. These issues take
teamwork. But on one rare occasion, I knew that based on where it was and who it was,
Steve was the person I had to ask to resolve it with little help from me or anyone
else. He handled it without hesitation, and with professionalism, grace and honor – that
was how he operated. On the lighter side, I was thrilled when he told me I had a great
sense of style. Coming from one of MoDOT’s best dressed people for many years
running, that was a tremendous compliment! – Micki Knudsen, MoDOT’s Human Resources
Director
He was here for the employees. Steve was trustworthy, and everyone knew he was
acting in the best interest of the employees. – Alberta Green, Southeast District Senior Traffic
Technician
Tribute to Steve Hermann
January 2014
Steve Hermann, was a true testament to a “Human” Resources Manager! He had the
best interest of employees at heart and truly cared for each employee. No matter the
situation—good or bad—he always made the employees feel good about themselves
and helped them to strive to be the best that they could be. God broke the mold when
he made Steve. – Sue Sifford, Southeast District Senior Risk Management Technician
I will always remember Steve for his ability to “bridge the gap.” He could take any
situation, no matter how upset someone was and talk them through it and make things
all better in the end. Also, he was always on the move. He never sat still long and
certainly couldn’t keep quiet for long; if you had something to say to Steve, you better
say it fast.
Along those lines, one day, while Kevin was still Chief Engineer and he was in my office
about to do my Maps. The door was closed and all the sudden in popped
Steve. Evidently there was an upset employee in Steve’s office, and he had cornered
Steve but Steve slipped through and headed to my office. Well, when he saw Kevin he
made about three quick circles talking the whole time and then shot out of my office. I
followed him back to his office, and we calmed the situation down. It was the only time I
saw Kevin somewhat speechless. – Mark Shelton, Southeast District Engineer