Friends and neighbors mourn loss of young couple

By Jay Turner

For two years running, Stephen and Kristen Furbush cooked up the best chili in Canton, but their impact — on family, friends, and neighbors — went far beyond their culinary skills.

Steve and Kristen Furbush at last year’s Ponkapoag Civic Chili Cook-Off

The young couple, whose tragic deaths just two months apart made national headlines last week and sparked a massive outpouring of support for their children, are being remembered today for their kind hearts, keen sense of humor, and deep devotion to their daughter Kayley and son Patrick.

“Their hearts were so big it was incredible,” said Jack Hughes, who came to know the family as president of the Ponkapoag Civic Association. “There isn’t one bad thing that I could say about this couple.”

Hughes said that everyone is still in shock over the unexpected loss of Steve, who died in his sleep on January 12, less than nine weeks after Kristen succumbed to brain cancer.

“It’s just devastating, absolutely devastating,” he said. “We’re a pretty close-knit family down there at the Ponkapoag Civic, and the whole membership is just beside themselves right now.”

Hughes noted how the civic had just finished planning its annual chili cook-off, which had been dedicated in Kristen’s honor and was scheduled to take place in late January. The event has since been put on hold until sometime in March and will now honor both Kristen and Steve — the defending two-time chili champions.

“Steve was so proud of winning that chili festival,” said Hughes. “The competition is a pro-am, and he blew away the restaurants, too. He had planned to attend but was going to stand back this year.”

Hughes described Kristen, who served as his vice president last year, as earnest, intelligent and dedicated, with an infectious personality and a smile that “lit up the room.”

“She was just that type of person where, the moment she joined, she got involved in helping out,” he said. “[As vice president] she did a knock-out job.”

Shelly Farrow, a close friend of Kristen’s, echoed many of Hughes’ sentiments, adding that Kristen was the one who convinced her to join the civic.

“She got me so excited about it,” recalled Farrow. “I had never even heard of the civic until she encouraged me to join.”

“Kristen was outgoing and she was fun and she was a people person,” said Farrow. “It’s like Canton came alive for me after I met her.”

Farrow said she came to know both Kristen and Steve because their daughters had attended the same preschool and took dance classes together. They also realized they had sons the same age, and today the two boys are classmates and “best buds.”

Farrow said Kristen’s cancer diagnosis came out of nowhere early last summer. “In late May we attended a civic event, a fashion show, and we had a great time,” she said. “It was shortly after that when she found out. Her treatments started immediately and were very difficult, but every time you talked to her all you saw was her strength.”

Farrow said she saw that same strength in Steve after Kristen passed away in November.

“He really was hanging in there — there was no way he was not going to hang in there for those kids,” she said. “He was all about the kids. He was finding his new normal.”

Farrow described Steve, a former soccer player and coach and an Emerson College graduate, as “quick-witted and sharp.” She added that he was honest about his feelings and always seemed full of gratitude for the support he was getting from family and friends.

When she was told that Sunday morning that Steve had died, Farrow initially thought it was some kind of mistake. “I did not believe it,” she said. “I thought I wasn’t hearing the name right. I mean, this is beyond life; it’s almost like some bizarre version of life.”

Hughes agreed with that assessment. “I honestly think the guy upstairs got it wrong this time,” he said. “The priest at the funeral said, ‘I have no answers for you.’ And he’s right. Nobody will be able to understand this tragedy, ever.”

Hughes said he can at least take comfort in the fact that the children have a family that loves them and a community that will always be there for them.

“From the Canton police right on down to the neighbors, Canton rocks,” he said. “This is one town that comes together for everyone.”

Hughes noted how there are already several fundraising efforts in the works, with many more likely to follow. And it’s not just people from Canton, as evidenced by the flood of donations pouring in from all over the country to the Furbush Children’s Fund, which had raised a staggering $163,000 as of Monday.

Farrow said everyone’s focus has remained firmly on Kayley and Patrick, who are now in the care of their grandparents. “I think for everybody, at this point, it’s just about taking care of the kids and doing what needs to be done,” she said.

In the meantime, a group of Kristen and Steve’s friends — including friends from Canton as well as Kristen’s hometown of Braintree, Steve’s hometown of Framingham, and Providence College, where the couple met — are busy planning a benefit in their honor that will take place June 7 at Florian Hall in Dorchester.

Sean Hickey, whose children also attended the same preschool as the Furbush children, said the benefit was originally planned to honor Kristen but will now celebrate both Kristen and Steve — two “beautiful parents who left behind two even more beautiful children.”

Farrow noted how the fundraiser, which will benefit the children’s fund, has even sparked new friendships with some of Kristen’s “Braintree girls.”

“That’s what Kristen does — she connects people,” she said. “Even after she’s gone she’s still connecting people.”

“Steve and Kristen were just good people,” added Hughes. “They were fun to hang out with and fun to be around. For a young couple that was only with us for a short time, they left a tremendous legacy.”

To donate to the children’s fund or for more information on the June 7 benefit, go to www.sharingcounts.com.

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