Steven Alan Dills, II

Remembering Steven “Stevie” Dills, Known to Many as Worm

Steven Alan Dills, age 49, of St. Mark’s Church Road, passed away August 23, 2026. He was born September 20, 1976, in Colombia, South Carolina, to Linda Noah Dills and the late Steven Alan Dills Sr.

Steven Dills was 49 years old, but there was never anything ordinary about Steven.

To some, he was Steven. To others, he was Stevie. Some knew him simply as Worm, and on the internet he became known as WorldWide Worm. Whatever name you called him, you knew one thing for sure. You knew him. Steven had a way of becoming part of people’s lives, and to know him was to love him.

Long before he became the highly skilled welder many would come to know, Steven was a kid from Bessemer City who played basketball and graduated from Bessemer City High School. He also had a first car that was, in its own way, almost as unforgettable as he was. Steven was known to drive around town in it with no hood, no front grille, and no front bumper. His friends would sometimes switch the spark plugs around as a joke, and somehow that car survived it all. There were even days when Steven and his friends would turn his dipstick and antenna into makeshift swords. Those who knew him can probably picture it now and laugh.

After graduating from high school, Steven chose the same proud and demanding trade as his father. His father was one of the most important influences in his life, and the two were very close. Steven and his brothers Kayn, Kelly, and Jamie all followed their father into boiler tube welding, carrying the family trade into the next generation. Steven did more than learn his father’s profession. Through years of demanding work and devotion to his craft, he became as skilled as the man who taught him and eventually surpassed even him.

It was not a profession that brought public awards, applause, or recognition. It was the kind of work most people never saw, even though they depended upon it every day. Steven helped build, maintain, and repair the systems that allowed people to turn on the lights and have power in their homes. His work supported the power houses, food factories, and paper plants that help keep America running. He practiced a trade that was part of the backbone of this country, making him a hero of his own kind.

Welding was not simply a job to Steven. It was his passion. He even had a shirt that read, “Passion Over Pay,” a simple phrase that said everything about how much he loved his work. Welding became something he was exceptionally good at, but more than that, it was something he was proud to do.

He spent much of his life traveling across America, working in power houses, food factories, and paper plants. He worked in places most people would never see and in conditions most people would never willingly enter. At times he found himself hundreds of feet in the air, suspended by a cable. At other times, he worked inside boilers reaching temperatures of around 200 degrees, wearing a water vest simply to withstand the heat.

And somehow, Steven made it look like something he was born to do.

He became known as one of the best TIG welders on the East Coast and was so skilled that he could weld using a mirror. His hands could do more than build and repair, though. Steven also created jewelry through welding, small works of art made from a trade he had mastered, some of which he sold.

Steven was the father of three sons: Caleb, Christian, and Nick. When Caleb and Christian were young, they sometimes traveled with him, becoming part of the many stories collected during Steven’s years on the road. As the years passed, his family grew to include four grandchildren, three beautiful girls through Caleb and one very handsome boy through Nick. They carry forward a part of Steven and are an important part of the story he leaves behind.

Steven’s place in his family began as the oldest of his brothers and the firstborn grandson. He shared different bonds and different memories with each of his brothers, Kelly, Daniel, Jamie, and Kayn. Kelly held an especially close place in Steven’s life, and losing him in June 2025 was a sorrow Steven carried deeply, just as he had carried the loss of his father before him. Jamie and Steven also spent a great deal of time together, particularly during Steven’s final year, when they worked side by side. Although welding connected Steven with Kelly, Jamie, and Kayn, the bond among all five brothers went far beyond a shared trade. Daniel followed a different path, but he was no less a part of that brotherhood or of Steven’s story.

His mother loved him with all her heart. Steven also gave his grandmother a name that became part of the entire family. He called her “Mom,” and somehow the name stuck. She is still “Mom” today.

Steven had many talents and many interests. He loved his country. He loved music. He loved football and sports. He loved making videos and sharing pieces of his life with the world. He was detailed and organized, witty and humorous, caring, and always willing to help when someone needed him. He was the kind of person who could be a friend to almost anyone, and somehow, over time, a friend became family.

During the last year of his life, Steven worked alongside his brother Jamie doing construction, putting his many skills to use once again. Welding, construction, creating, fixing, figuring things out. If Steven did not know how to do something, he was usually willing to learn, and if someone else needed a hand, he was usually willing to give it.

But perhaps the best way to remember Steven is not by listing everything he did.

Remember the boy driving around Bessemer City in a car with half its parts missing.

Remember the man whose life took him across America and whose stories traveled even farther.

Remember the welder hanging hundreds of feet in the air, doing work most people could never do.

Remember the man who could weld with a mirror and turn pieces of metal into jewelry.

Remember Worm, Stevie, and Steven.

Remember his laugh, his humor, his willingness to help, his love of family, and the way he could make an ordinary moment into a story people would tell years later.

Steven was one of a kind.

He was not just a friend. He became family.

And for everyone who had the privilege of knowing him, that is how he will be remembered.

Survivors include his mother, Linda Noah Long; sons, Caleb Alan Dills (Brianna Donaldson), Christian Dills (Courtney), and Nicholas Rodney Dills; stepmother, Peggy Dills; brothers, Jamie Dills (Erika ), Kayn Dills (Jessica Anne), and Daniel Dills (Christyne); grandchildren, Elayah Grace Dills, Giana Danae Barttley, Lainie Jacob Dills, and Nolan Michael Dills.

In addition to his father, Steven Alan Dills Sr., he was preceded in death by his brother, Kelly Dills; and infant brother, Joshua Dills.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at Walnut Grove Baptist Church with Pastor Chris Parker officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. His family will receive friends from 1:00 to 1:45 PM before the service at the church.

Memorials may be made to Walnut Grove Baptist Church at 3255 Dallas Cherryville Hwy, Dallas, NC 28034.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Steven’s honor to the American Welding Society Foundation, helping future welders turn their passion into a lifelong trade. Donations may be made at the AWS Foundation donation page. Please include “In memory of Steven Alan Dills” in the Additional Comments section.

To learn more about the organization, visit here. https://www.aws.org/about/foundation/

Donate by using the link below:

https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/AWSFoundation/donate.html

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