PORTLAND — It is with extreme sadness that the family of

, proud and devoted father, kind and loving brother and friend, caring son, and skilled civil engineer faced his premature death on the afternoon of April 14. His exuberance for his new kayaking interest could not compete with the changing water conditions. The family is very appreciative of his good friend Tracy Quadro, the Coast Guard, Marine Patrol, and local rescue personnel of South Portland, Scarborough, Biddeford, and Saco for their outstanding rescue work.

Steve, youngest of four, was born to Gilberte Michaud Langlais and the late George L Langlais, April 13, 1961, in Bangor. He graduated from Brewer High School in 1979, attended Syracuse University, where he was a member of PSI Upsilon fraternity, and earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from University of Maine at Orono in 1984. In his first job with the USDOT, he had the unique opportunity of sitting in on the planning of the Big Dig in Boston. His career placed him at Dufresne-Henry and most currently Stantec with airport projects in Massachusetts, Florida, Bahamas, Utah, Vancouver, and Chile.

Steve enjoyed golf, travel, hiking, many creative home projects, road trips, photography, regular platelet donations at the Red Cross, auctions, and was a longtime supporter of the Patriots Soccer Club in Gray. He was a model father who loved to provide his children with new hiking, travel and educational opportunities. His smile was broad and always ready to greet family and his many close friends.

Steve married Deb Liberty in 1991, and after their divorce in 2005, proudly co-parented Sam and Emma.

Steve is survived by his children, Sam and Emma Liberty-Langlais; his mother, Gil Langlais; his sisters and their husbands, Roxanne and Harvey Wheeler, Pat and Reg Beaulieu, and Sandy Wardwell and Ed Curtis; nieces and their husbands, Beth and Stephen Taglieri, Katie and Andy Nesbitt, and Amy and Darren Bess; nephews, Luke Wardwell and Zach Beaulieu; a very special friend, Sabrina Murphy; and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles.

The family would like to acknowledge the generosity of “Uncle” Mike Liberty.

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