Stephen "Steve" Douglas Cayton

Stephen Douglas Cayton was born in Washington, D.C. on February 7, 1944, the second child of the late Arabia Pasha Cayton and Doris Vaughan Cayton. He split his childhood between home in Landover Hills, Maryland and with family in Ahoskie and Greenville, North Carolina. A standout athlete of the Bladensburg High School class of 1963, he was even good enough to have tried out for the Washington Senators baseball team when he was a young man.

Steve met his wife Mary Alice Skocich through his friend Charlie Hurtt’s card night. Mary Alice babysat Charlie’s young siblings, and Steve offered to drive her home one evening. His card buddies soon noticed that the quick jaunts down the street kept getting longer, and longer and longer, and eventually Steve and Mary Alice were married on April 11, 1965. Marrying into the Skocich family took some getting used to for Steve since their family “cultures” were totally opposite, but they both learned to love each family as their own. After their second daughter Laura was born, they moved into their home in Millersville, Maryland in 1975 and have lived there ever since.

Steve worked hard all his life – often 16 to 18 hour days – between his regular job at NSA, overtime work, and even part-time work with his floor cleaning business. Steve was employed in the graphics department of the National Security Agency from 1963 – 2002, and after retiring from the federal government, worked for various government contractors until 2011, when he retired for good. During his time at NSA, he worked with Dr. John O’Hara of Maryland Group Against Smoker’s Pollution (MDGASP) to advocate for smokefree air at NSA, and even testified in front of the Maryland General Assembly in favor of changing laws to prohibit smoking in the workplace.

In the early 90s, he was a member of the Bowie Elk’s Lodge, and with them he volunteered at Camp Barrett in Crownsville, MD.

In typical Steve fashion, he took two eventful trips to Disney World with his children and grandchildren. The first time in 2001 he “failed the Disney Stress Test” toward the end of the trip, and spent an extra weeks’ vacation in the hospital. During the second trip in 2005 he saved his family by warning his son-in-law to stop the car in time so that a car running a red light only took the front bumper off the car instead of everyone inside it.

Steve was a big softie with lifelong fondness for animals. There was a period of time in the late 90s/early 00s where he befriended every squirrel in the neighborhood. He installed a squirrel feeder in the backyard, and would show the squirrels off to visitors as if they were pets. He eventually graduated to keeping a bag of peanuts by the door and hand-feeding the squirrels. This went on for years until the squirrels eventually inhabited the attic and chewed through the ceiling of their house, at which point his wife said the squirrels had to go.

Those who knew Steve know that he was never afraid to laugh at himself, and his quick comebacks often left the room in stitches. He was infamous for being inpatient, having no mechanical skills whatsoever, and making his own rules, and these quirks often led to the madcap hijinks that his family lovingly dubbed “The Chronicles of Steve”. He took pleasure in fishing, maintaining his lawn, naps, watching the Orioles and Redskins, and good food, especially if it involved ice cream, sweet potatoes, or fruit. Steve’s voice was a rich baritone, and he would often sing along to Elvis music (his favorite) and old hymns such as “How Great Thou Art”.

Since 2011, Steve suffered from dementia that progressively robbed him of his memories, mobility, and mental abilities, and in the early hours of Wednesday June 19, 2019 he passed away at home in his sleep. Steve is survived by his wife Mary Alice Cayton of Millersville, daughters Kelly (Mike) Dean and Laura (David) Lower of Gambrills, and four grandchildren, Samantha Dean of Baltimore, Danny Dean, Alesha Lower, and Grace Lower of Gambrills, as well as siblings Ronnie (Sandee) Cayton, Wanda (Jeff) Price, Pasha (Laurie) Cayton, and Deanna Timon, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by his in-laws, Barb Meek, Jack Ocker, Debbie (Terry) Dosey, Joe Skocich, Jimmy Skocich, and Bobby Skocich.

Family will receive friends on Monday, June 24, 2019 from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm at Beall Funeral Home, 6512 NW Crain Hwy. (Rt 3 South), Bowie, MD where a funeral service will be held Tuesday June 25, 2019 at 11am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1319 F. St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004 or Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD, 21122.  The family would also love it if you celebrated memories of Steve by enjoying your favorite ice cream or a big juicy apple. If you have a Steve Chronicle or special memory to share, the family would love for you to please post them here or send them to [email protected].