A memorial service for Steve Harrison was held at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Friday morning for employees and business associates and a family service took place earlier today at the Lakeside Pavilion at California Park in Chico. I attended the service at the brewery on Friday and it was a very moving tribute to Steve’s life. There was a slide show of photos from throughout Steve’s life, from childhood playing the background during the entire service. Several of Steve’s childhood friends from where he grew up in Woodland Hills, California told stories about him when he was younger. Then family, brewery employees, and friends from the brewing community did likewise. It was really nice to hear about so many different sides of Steve and it was great seeing how many people’s live Steve touched, mine included.

There is also an online guestbook you can sign at the Chico Enterprise-Record and another one at his funeral home website.

Steve was an avid cyclist, regularly joining friends on weekend rides throughout the North Valley, foothills, and mountains. He was a strong advocate for cycling in our community and a wonderful friend to his many cycling partners. He also enjoyed several foreign cycling trips with friends and family, most recently to Italy. He also loved to hike in Bidwell Park and the Sierra Nevadas.

Steve enjoyed a lifelong sense of curiosity and loved literature, fine films, and spirited conversation. He was devoted to the Chico community and appreciated its beauty, opportunities, and citizenry.

He was intensely interested in politics and was committed to progressive causes related to social justice, environmental sustainability, smart growth, economic opportunity, and universal health care.

Steve is survived by his loving wife, best friend, and cycling partner, Linda Zorn; his father, Haldon Harrison, of Culver City, California; his mother and step-father, Toni and Jack Gardner of Pittsburgh, PA; his brother, Hugh, sister-in-law, Annie, and niece, Nicole Haskins, of Venice, California; his sister, Kate Harrison and her partner, Jim Hendry, of Berkeley, California; and several step-siblings.

Steve enriched the lives of all those with whom he shared himself, worked, and biked. His good humor, companionship, helpfulness to others, and social commitment will be greatly missed.

Donations in his honor may be made to the Steve Harrison Fund, which will be used to promote environmental sustainability and alternative energy projects. Donations may be sent to Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home of Chico, which is handling arrangements.

It’s hard to put into words the importance Steve had to the success of Sierra Nevada Brewing and the craft beer industry as a whole. He was among the early pioneers of our fledgling segment of the beer industry. He was a tireless champion of small breweries both out in front and behind the scenes, such as in his role as President of the California Small Brewers Association. He will be greatly missed. Please join me in drinking a toast to Steve’s memory this evening. Any craft beer will do, but if you can manage a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, so much the better.

The body of Sierra Nevada Brewing Vice-President Steve Harrison was found earlier today, around 4:15 p.m., in the Sacramento River, by a local resident who has helping been with the search on his Wave Runner since last week. Roughly two hours later, the local sheriff’s deputies recovered Harrison’s body, which had been caught on a snag in spot in the river known as the washout near Scotty’s Boat Landing, about half a mile from where his blue Toyota Prius had been discovered next to the river. Harrison had been missing since last Tuesday, August 7. The body has been turned over to the Butte County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.

My heart goes out to his wife, Linda, and the rest of Steve’s family, not to mention all the close friends and colleagues at the brewery that he’d been working with since it began in 1979. The brewing community has lost one of its most influential and important members. This is very sad day for all of us.
 

The search continues for Steve Harrison, Vice President of Sierra Nevada Brewing and one of the original employees of the northern California brewery, who was discovered missing Tuesday morning. There have been several news updates by the local Chico paper, but precious little new information. Saturday morning, the Chico Enterprise Record reported that a new team of tracking dogs was being brought in to confirm a previous group’s findings that Harrison most likely went into the river near where his car was found along the bank of the Sacramento River.

Another Chico story on Sunday reported that Saturday’s search to find Harrison was again unsuccessful and that the new team of dogs did confirm their earlier conclusions. Butte County Search and Rescue indicated that after four days of searching it is likely efforts will be scaled back somewhat in the coming days, although helicopters will continue to fly over the area and the underwater camera may also keep searching the river.

The San Francisco Chronicle has also now picked up the story, running on the SF Gate Saturday and in Sunday’s print edition.

The Chico Enterprise Record is reporting today that Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Vice-President Steve Harrison has been missing since Monday afternoon. He was last seen leaving work at the end of the day. His car was found the following morning near the bank of the Sacramento River on River Road in Chico, California. The keys to his car were apparently found several feet from the car in the dirt. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence of foul play, though police have indicated they can’t rule it out, either. Brewery workers have been helping in the search all week and understandably have canceled the 3rd annual Hops Festival which had been scheduled to take place this Sunday.

I’ve known Steve for over a decade and he’s one of the finest people in the industry. I just saw him in San Diego in June during a CSBA meeting at Stone Brewery we were both attending. I wish there was something we could do to help, as this news has really taken me aback. If you’re in the Chico area or are nearby, perhaps you could volunteer to help with the search. If you have any information, please be sure to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530.538.7321. If nothing else, join me in sending positive thoughts his way that he’s found safe and sound as soon as possible.
 

UPDATE: Butte County Search and Rescue is now concluding, based upon tracking dogs brought up from Napa County, that Harrison entered the river near the spot where his car was found Tuesday. County officials have begun using an underwater camera to search the river, which in places can be as deep as twenty feet. The Oroville Mercury Register also has a follow up story.