Hillsborough stories: David Steven Brown

Steven Brown, as he was known to family and friends, was a machine operator from Wrexham and Liverpool FC season ticket holder. He travelled to Hillsborough with his brother, Andrew Brown, who survived.

This is the full statement to the inquests from his widow, Sarah Brown:

Steven Brown was born on 29 September, 1963. He was killed at the age of 25 at Hillsborough. My name is Sarah Brown and I am Steven's widow.

Now, whether you believe this or not, it was actually love at first sight, and after our first date, which was on my 16th birthday, a beautiful romance blossomed, and along the way I took on many of the things that Steven loved to do.

One of them was fishing. We spent many a lazy weekend casting a line down the meadows and trying to catch our tea. He enjoyed the peace and tranquillity, so much so that he made me a convert.

His next love was 'the lads', his mates from the village who he went to the school with. This also included their spouses and kids. He played in the local pool team on a weekly basis along with his brother, Andy, with whom he had an exceptionally close relationship with growing up.

Andy has since told me that Steven always looked out for him as a big brother when they were growing up together.

Steven enjoyed the banter and always had a laugh and a joke, but would always be there if help or support was ever needed. He loved and cherished every one of his mates, like they did him.

However, his biggest passion of all was Liverpool Football Club, for which he would travel to the edge of the earth to watch play. His loyalty and devotion to 'the Reds' was second to none, and he would have gone without anything so long as he had his season ticket.

He was a season ticket holder at Liverpool, along with Andy. They both loved going to the matches at Anfield and would make a day out of every game.

Steven and Andy were brought up by their grandmother in the village of Holt, Clwyd, where they were very much a part of the village life. Steven was extremely close to his grandmother, who died in 2009, aged 96. She, too, was left devastated by his untimely death.

His love of football didn't just stay with the Reds. He loved to play it himself. He played for Holt Nomads and, even whilst on our honeymoon in Morocco, he managed to organise a footy match of holidaymakers v locals. Between you and me, I am sure that was the highlight of the honeymoon for him, although he didn't let on to me.

Now, I could go on and on about fishing and pool being his hobby and Liverpool Football Club being his passion, But now for his biggest love of all; me.

I can honestly say that he loved me with a passion which I never knew existed. The dedication and commitment that he showed towards me left me giddy, and I miss that feeling deeply.

He desperately wanted to start a family so he could be a Daddy. He wanted a little girl and thought that his world would be complete. He had even picked a name, which was Samantha.

'Dreams were coming true'

When he found out that I was pregnant and that his dreams were coming true, he was over the moon and full of pride.

All he could do was talk about taking the baby fishing and to their first match and having to move to a house with a garden. He truly could not wait.

He loved to feel the baby kick in my stomach, and he even told it stories. He constantly talked about the arrival of our new addition.

So, for Steven to have passed away when I was six months pregnant and he never got a chance to meet and greet his new little baby, well, there are no words to describe that void.

When I gave birth to a healthy little bundle of loveliness on 29 July, 1989, who I named Samantha Sarah Brown, not only was I grieving for me, but for her too.

Since that day, I have tried my best to shower her with her Daddy's love, which I knew would have flown in abundance for Samantha from Steven. She has listened to stories of him and how we met and how much we were in love and how desperately he wanted a little girl and to be the best Daddy ever.