My dear husband Steve Kenkel was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor in May of 2018. He received treatment at Duke. For the first 15 months after his diagnosis, Steve had many adventures, including traveling up the east coast with son John, a family trip to Norway, and honing his poetry-writing skills. In September of 2019, he began to rapidly decline and chose to enter hospice with Transitions Life Care. He died peacefully encircled by family on 12/24/2019.

Steve dealt with his illness with grace and strength. In May of 2019, he participated fully in the Angels Among Us event at Duke. He ran/walked the 5K race, walked with family and friends in the Walk of Hope, and cheered on son John in his Super Skipper jump rope team's performance. Steve was a big supporter of Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, and participated in their research.