Steven Nodiff

The bicyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver last week was a "resilient" man who was born deaf and going blind, his sister said Thursday. Steven Nodiff, 33, rode a bike everywhere because a recent eye diagnosis meant he could no longer drive a car. He also was on the autism spectrum and had Tourette syndrome, his younger sister Marissa Tucker said. Those health issues are important to explain the type of person he was, Tucker said. "If you had met him, you wouldn't know he had all these struggles going on," said Tucker, of Ballwin. "He was so sweet and so full of joy." Nodiff was riding a bike when he was struck by a car April 23 in an alley in the 4700 block of South Grand Boulevard in the Dutchtown neighborhood. He died at the scene. The driver of the car ran away after hitting Nodiff. Police later arrested 50-year-old Edward Terrill Duncan, hiding under a bed at a nearby residence. Duncan is facing charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Nodiff lived with friends in the south St. Louis area on and off. He grew up in the Ballwin area and, before moving to St. Louis, had lived with his father in Oakville. He was the oldest of three. Tucker, 31, called her brother "the most resilient person I know." In addition to his other medical issues, Nodiff was slowly losing his vision. He learned in recent years that he had a rare disorder called retinitis pigmentosa, where a person gradually loses peripheral vision, then ultimately all vision. He could no longer drive cars, which was devastating, so he instead rode a bicycle everywhere he went, Tucker said. One of his passions was traveling. He rode a bike all the way to Tennessee a few years ago, taking back roads instead of highways. Nodiff delivered food for DoorDash in the south St. Louis area where he lived.