lost my brother today, R.I.P. R.S. [steve] Harper

after a long run of poor health, my brother steve harper passed away today near my home town of dodge city, ks. i'm hoping some of you old time hambers from early 60's california, or detroit customizers from the 70's & 80's might remember steve harper and his work. being 18 years older than me, we were not always close, but legend and reputation more than made up. growing up a big fan of "happy days" i guess steve was like an original
'fonz' around dodge city. duece coup with tricky triple carbs, 51 merc chop and motorcycles. some stories i was told were the test drive of the 32 coupe where the carbs stuck open and the driver was losing control, well steve bailed out the passenger side only to slide across the street and break his arm miserably, colliding with the sign to the D.Q. in south dodge. he was making 1$ an hour at a gas station and pulled down 100 hours a week to save up for the chop top for the merc, which he took to someone in wichita. later in the late 70's someone came forward to show me the merc sitting in a barn near town. would love to have it now. when i was just one, trouble with a girl and local law and my parents sent him packing to where else??? california, a hotrod kids paradise. in 64 or 65 he was working for the barris shop and built me a matching model car of the two mustang customs they were working on for the new hot stars, Sonny and Cher, just saw those go on auction not long ago. on a visit to california, he came home for lunch in some wild bubble top creation that was purple and he gave me a ride in it, i know some of may know what car that was, it was famous i think. another childhood treasure were the items steve would send me, the BATMAN logo vinyl cutout from the two tone seats the shop were working on, they built several BATMAN cars, or a peice of bronze platted trim from the muhommed ali toranodo. no other kid in dodge city had stuff like i did in show and tell. from the barris custom shop he went to american sunroof and did well in that company, eventually transfering to detroit operations, soon starting his own custom shop in detroit, R.S. Harper Custom Coachbuilders. sunroofs, limo's, customs for celebrities, armored vehicles for mexican governor, superfly rolls'royces, and the prototype mercedes wagons were built by steve in detroit before the company produced them for the americas. he taught me to weld in that shop in detroit when i was just 10 maybe, fabricating custom nose pieces for luxury customs. i remember some cool cars from the heyday, 60 porcshe,67 maserati, triumph 750 "hurricaine" , superfast mercedes deisel sedan from overseas, auburn boattails built to order, and a mildly custom 76 coupe de ville he gave my mom for a gift. trouble with the law, government, women, and associates, derailed his career later in life. he was traveling in an RV, trying to get to costa rica when poor health forced him to stop over in dodge several years ago. i think his plan was to go out like butch cassidy and the sundance kid south of the border. i wish he could have made it. i owe my passion for automobiles to my brother, steve harper. i will hope to carry out the passion by finishing my 33 chevy sedan project. i also hope to pass on the passion [and some badass cars] to my children. anybody who knew steve, feel free to add to this post.
thanks for reading
harp

 

Sorry for the loss of your Brother. Sounds like he had a full, interesting and rich life and that is about all any of us can ask.

RIP.

Don

 

Sorry on the loss of your brother. Your post was extremely difficult to read so I fixed it a little.

Paragraphs that break it all up make it so much easier on the eyes.

 

Our prayers for you and your family. Gods peace be with you

 

Sorry to hear about your brother. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Mike

 

Sorry to hear that, he sounds like a hell of a guy.

 

Very sorry to hear about the loss of your big brother. As Don said, it sounds like he had a full life. Cherish every memory you have.

Brad

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family and I am sorry to read of your loss. Even just a quick Google search reveals that your brother was an amazingly talented and ambitious fabricator trusted by many OEMS to create brilliant concepts. Seems like he had a very full life filled with creativity and that's about all we can ever ask for. God Bless You and Yours.

 

I lost my brother to cancer 4-1/2 years ago,... I know how it feels,.. I am so sorry for your loss,.... After a while, I just concentrated on all the good times,... I still miss him terribly,... But now I can miss him with a big smile.

I will keep you and your family on my prayer list,... Again, so sorry for your loss.

 

that sucks...prayers of peace sent...

 

So sorry to hear about the loss of your brother today... Those we hold dear to our hearts live on in the kindness that they showed us.

 

never easy to lose a Family member, sympathy to you and the rest of Family. have you done a search online for for business name? there are a few references, with one at: cadillacstationwagon.com that mentions a brochure from R.S. Harper Custom Coachbuilders. sounds like he lead a very full life.

 

Sorry about your brother. Sounded like a great guy

 

Sorry for the loss, my prayers go out to you and your family.

 

R.I.P. Steve, our prayers are with the family.

 

Love to have met him, God Bless you and the family bro. His work sounded amazing.
Psalm 32:10 ....but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Lean on him man.

 

thanks for all the replys guys,anybody that knew steve was probably asleep last nite when i posted. hope they post today. thats right, i forgot about the cadillac station wagons

 

Sorry to hear about your family's loss. It's always a kick in the chest. Same thing for me, my brother n law passed recently. Gary

 

Sorry for your loss. Thoughts and prayers with you and your family.
Larry

 

hey hey , remember the best things he was all about and carry those principles , attributes forward . you are a special brother for sure......mac

 

Sorry for your loss.

 

sorry for your loss, hold the memories close as you always have those!!

 

Sorry for your loss. Prayer with you and your family.

 

Harp,

Prayers go out for you and your family for your loss. Keep those memories fresh by revisiting them often. They, and the grace from prayer, will help you through!

 

Is that Merc supposed to be around dodge still? If so I could try and help you find it. Born and raised in Dodge City.

 

RIP Steve! I lost my older brother to cancer two years ago. Now I'm dealing with his widow's deep depression. Lost her job due to it and about to loose her home. I wont even mention my own. Cancer sucks! Keep your head high and work on that project. Working for me.

 

sorry for you and your family's loss.

 

May God Bless his soul, as well as you and your whole family.

 

sorry for your loss....

 

Condolences to you and your family...........