He was a charismatic, generous man with big dreams and an open heart, a father and business man with a magnetic smile that drew people close. Steve Medeiros of Santa Rosa, founder of Medeiros Concrete Pumping, died of a rare brain disease on Tuesday. He was 49.

Medeiros was diagnosed a few weeks ago with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disorder that occurs in only one out of a million people worldwide, according to federal health authorities.

“It's such a devastating thing that happened to such a vibrant, handsome, athletic person who was 49 years old, and left two boys without a dad, and a lot of sad people,” said his close friend Boyd Stockham. “He was a real sweetheart, such a good friend.”

A small percentage of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as “Mad cow” disease.

Friends and family could not say which strain of the disease Medeiros had, but said they believed it was a “sporadic” form, which is the most common type, according to the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A far less common strain, the “variant” type that makes up only one percent of cases, is linked to “Mad cow” disease, which can come from eating meat from diseased animals.

Medeiros was born in San Rafael and grew up in Sonoma County on his family's dairy farm with six brothers and sisters.

He was active in 4-H and showed cattle at regional county fairs. He played varsity football at Analy High School and graduated in 1980.

“He was the one brother who would wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning and milk cows and then go to school, and then come back and go to baseball or football practice,” said his girlfriend, Sarah Lukenbill of Santa Rosa.

After his father died, Medeiros and his siblings continued the family business. He was not only a brother, but also a best friend, said Stan Medeiros of Santa Rosa.

“I lost my dad at 12, and he took care of me,” his brother said. “All the way coming up, he had me under his wing, and he showed me the way.”

Eventually, Medeiros struck out on his own and founded Medeiros Concrete Pumping. His business employed more than 80 employees at its peak, and every Christmas he rewarded an employee's family with a trip to Disneyland, Lukenbill said. The company was voted one of the best places to work by the North Bay Business Journal.

Medeiros volunteered his construction skills at Spring Hills Community Church where he was a member, Lukenbill said.

“He is hands down the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life, inside and out,” Lukenbill said. “He had a heart of gold. He'd give you the shirt off his back, he would be there for you in a heartbeat.”

His magnetic personality drew friends to his side throughout his hospital stay, where he had a constant stream of visitors.

“He had a one-in-a-million disease, and he was a one-in-a-million guy,” Stan Medeiros said. “He's touched so many people. He will be deeply, deeply missed.”

He also is survived by his mother, Irene Medeiros Pacheco of Sebastopol; sons Stevie Medeiros and Tom Medeiros of Santa Rosa; sister, Rosemary Morrison of Santa Rosa; brothers, Jerry Medeiros, Dan Medeiros, James Medeiros and George Medeiros, all of Santa Rosa, and former wife Ginny Scales-Medeiros of Santa Rosa.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday May 21 at Spring Hills Community Church, 3700 Fulton Road., Santa Rosa.

The family requests donations to NPDPSC (National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center), 2085 Adelbert Road., Cleveland, Ohio, 44106-4907, or Heartland Hospice, 2455 Bennett Valley Road., #B214, Santa Rosa, 95404.

You can reach Staff Writer Cathy Bussewitz at 521-5276 orcathy.bussewitz@pressdemocrat.com.

I met Steve a few times, our condolences to the family.

I worked for STEVE in Sacramento under JEFF DELRIO for a very short time in 2008 .He was a very straight forward man that knew what he wanted and how he wanted it.I missed an open invitation to Deer and Elk hunt with him in Santa Rosa at his farm. He was an avid Outdoors Man as I.  And a Steelers fan as well .A Top Notch Class Act Man  that will be missed by all that knew him.