A Man Of Uncompromising Vision, Steve Jobs Is Still A Sweet Guy

Stories that have come out of Steve Jobs’s retirement typically focus on his genius and ideas. Writer Lisen Stromberg veers away from all that, though, and describes him as what he is behind the scenes: a really normal, neighbourly guy.

Views into Steve’s personal life are few and far between — imagine the sales on that upcoming biography — so Lisen’s perspective is refreshing and really rather sweet. She met him at a backyard pool party, and would run into him from time to time (while jogging, at their children’s school) thereafter. Each time she’d be understandably starstruck.

What really stands out is when they spoke one Halloween soon after:

He and his wife put on a darn scary haunted house (to be specific, a haunted garden). He was sitting on the walkway, dressed like Frankenstein. As I walked by with my son, Steve smiled and said, “Hi Lisen.” My son thought I was the coolest mum in town when he realised The Steve Jobs knew me.

Kind of makes you wish he was your neighbour, right? Which underscores the fact that, behind the cool business-y veneer, Steve Jobs is really a decent guy and a good dad. All the more reason to wish him a swift recovery. [Lisen Stromberg]

Photo: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma