Apr 23, 2022

Bonnie McLain recalled pitching baseballs to her great nephew when he was 6 years old. “I can see him right now in his grandmother’s backyard,” said McLain, as she sat inside the Coston Funeral Homes’ East Liberty location on Saturday morning. “He batted lefty. He could really hit that ball.” That is one of many memories she has of Mathew (Matthew) Steffy-Ross, 17, of Pitcairn. McLain said on his birth certificate there is one “T” in his first name, but he preferred two “Ts.” Steffy-Ross, along with and Jaiden Za’mar Brown, 17, of North Braddock, were killed on Easter Sunday, April 17, in a shooting at a party in a rented house on Pittsburgh’s North Side. About 200 people were inside the home, rented as an Airbnb, and dozens more were outside when the shooting started, witnesses and police said. A senior at Woodland Hills High School, Brown’s funeral was Friday at Living Water Ministry Church in Braddock. Steffy-Ross and his older brother, Alden, were cared for by their grandmother until her death three years ago. McLain took over as caregiver because the parents were too ill to care for the children, according to the family, according to a statement released on Thursday. His grandmother’s death hit Steffy-Ross very hard, the family said. Steffy-Ross was a member at East Liberty-based Youth Enrichment Services. It mentors young people and offers academic assistance and guidance to inspire them to become leaders. Youth Enrichment Services founder and executive director Dennis Floyd Jones arranged for Steffy-Ross’ friends to have transportation to the funeral home and church. After a two-hour viewing, a private memorial service was held at Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side followed by a gathering after a funeral. Jones’ organization paid for the luncheon. Steffy-Ross’s memorial service was held in the same church as Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Haskins died on Feb. 9 after being hit by a dump truck on a highway in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His wife, Kalabrya, donated flowers from her late husband’s service on Friday for Steffy-Ross’ funeral, one of the attendees said. “This is hard for me, but I take solace in the fact that so many people leave this earth having never feeling surrounded by love,” McLain, 77, of Turtle Creek, said at the funeral home. “He absolutely knew he was surrounded by love.” McLain said she’s received calls and messages from New York to California and Washington, D.C. to Washington, Pa. — all across the country from people asking about her great nephew from news organizations and television stations to people who wanted to send condolences. Tim Stevens, chairman and CEO, of The Black Political Empowerment Project and co-convener, Coalition against Violence, stopped by to pay his respects. “There are too many of these young people dying,” Stevens said. “The problem is that this is not going to go away today or tomorrow or next week, but we can’t stop looking for ways to build more peaceful communities.” He said there is documentation that contains strategies for change and a need for people to embrace and put those strategies into action. “Don’t let these just be words on a page,” Stevens said. “We need correct implementation and patience in an inpatient situation.” He said people need to be proactive. He said youth input is also needed: It can’t just be adults making all of the decisions. “We need the youth to be involved in the conversation,” Stevens said. Stevens said he’s been in contact with various organizations, including Pittsburgh City Council, the Northside Partnership Project, and Pastor Michael Anthony Day. Stevens said it’s a positive sign that legislation was introduced to City Council on Tuesday aiming to regulate Airbnb and other short-term rental units in the city. “That’s being proactive,” Stevens said. Steffy-Ross decided to start a T-shirt line. It was set to launch in May. He wanted to surprise his aunt with one of the shirts, McLain said. Some friends wore the shirts on Saturday. McLain said her great nephew had a positive impact on so many people as images of his life were displayed in a slide show. “This child was such a shining light,” McLain said. “He had such a bright future.” JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter . Support Local Journalism and help us continue covering the stories that matter to you and your community.