Sean C. Morgan
The son of a Sweet Home man was killed in a car crash on Highway 20 east of Lebanon last week.
Steve Holley, 35, of Albany and formerly of Sweet Home was the son of Tom Holley of Sweet Home and Carole of Ida Bell, Okla.
At approximately 7:55 a.m., a 1993 Mazda coupe, driven by Steve Holley, was eastbound on Highway 20 near milepost 21 when it crossed both westbound lanes and veered off the roadway. It came to rest approximately 200 feet off the roadway on the north side.
Holley was deceased at the scene, according to Oregon State Police. He was wearing a seatbelt.
The investigation of the crash is being conducted by the Albany Patrol Office of the Oregon State Police. Deputies from Linn County Sheriff’s office assisted at the scene.
Holley’s uncle, Dave Holley, said the investigators could determine no reason for the crash except that Steve must have fallen asleep.
“He’s kind of one of those free spirited kind of kids,” Dave Holley said. “He’d show up every now and then and check in with the family. He wasn’t a nine-to-five type of person, like a lot of us…. He was his own kind of person, (but) he was respectful and everything.”
Steve worked as a firefighter for the Forest Service and also in construction with the American Stone Gallery.
“When he was growing up, a youngster, he was great,” Holley said. “He was likeable. He got into his teenage years, and he started getting a little antsy like a lot of us do. He wasn’t a loner, but he just did his own thing….
“The family will miss him of course. Even though it was sometimes a year or two between visits, it was always special.”