SHELBURNE — As hundreds shared laughter, tears and fond memories of late hilltown legislator Steve Kulik during a memorial ceremony on Sunday, the words of Maya Angelou rang true.

“When great souls die, after a period, peace blooms.”

Kulik died of cancer in his Worthington home on Dec. 18, 2022, at age 72. In life, he served about 40 years in various government capacities, including a Selectboard position from 1984 to 1993 and in the state Legislature from 1993 to 2018. He represented the 1st Franklin District, a seat now held by Rep. Natalie Blais. Kulik’s resumé exhibited a commitment to sustainable energy and agriculture, while friends and family also remembered him for his passion for music and baseball.

“Steve was my best friend, and actually, through talking to so many people that I’ve talked to since his passing, he was everybody’s best friend,” former state Rep. Dan Bosley said in a speech following a reading of Angelou’s “When Great Trees Fall.” “He was truly a renaissance man and someone we should try to emulate,” Bosley continued, calling Kulik “an expert on so many different things.”

Gathering hundreds of colleagues and loved ones at Apex Orchards, Sam Kulik, Steve Kulik’s son, opened his reflection by stressing that the day’s purpose was partially to reclaim happy memories of his father that had been overcast by thoughts of his absence.

“For me, the transition has been difficult in the sense that the 40 years of my only happy memories with my father have mutated into only painful memories,” he said. “It hurts both to think of the life he lived and the life that he’s missing right now with us. One reason for us being here today is to try and help heal those memories; make them happy again, celebrate dad’s spirit and the continual presence it will have in our lives as the seasons change and we grow older.”

According to the anecdotes of Kulik’s friends and family, this was a fitting approach to addressing his death.

“He was the most cheerful man I knew, but never in a Pollyanna light or Ned Flanders fashion,” Dan Okrent, a friend, said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. “He was even cheerful when denigrating politicians or musicians or ballplayers that he disliked simply because he took such joy in the very disliking of them.”

Woven through speeches from loved ones were musical interludes that featured songs that were significant to Kulik in some way. The final piece played was Taj Mahal’s “You’re Going to Need Somebody On Your Bond,” joining tears from those in attendance with an upbeat groove to suggest that life moving forward must be lived with joy.

“Typical vocabulary used about cancer is pugilistic about ‘the fight’ or ‘the battle.’ I would say that this does not align with my father’s experience with the disease,” Sam Kulik said. “His peaceful, assured nature supplied him with some measure of tranquility during his illness. Being a contented person, in love, alive in a beautiful place, proud of his family and of his work, having both shared his life and enjoyed it for himself, softened his fear of beyond.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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