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John Henry Steidl, Jr.
April 6th, 1934 - November 3rd, 2020
April 6th, 1934 - November 3rd, 2020
A virtual CELEBRATION of LIFE SERVICE will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2020 at 4:00PM EST via Zoom. Please paste this link in your browser to join us: https://zoom.us/j/98470739566Zoom -- Meeting ID: 984 7073 9566----
John Henry Steidl, 86, passed away at his home in Montclair, NJ while in hospice care on Tuesday November 3, 2020.
Born in Cambridge, MA on April 6, 1934, he was the son of John and Anita (Jones) Steidl John graduated from Saranac Lake High School in 1951. John went to Union College and then graduated from Yale Divinity School before continuing his education later in life at Smith College of Social Work.
Johns father had tuberculosis when he was a student at Harvard Medical School and was sent to Saranac Lake first to cure, later to practice, eventually taking over as head of Trudeau Sanitorium. His mother Anita was a nurse at the Trudeau Sanitorium as well.
Over the years John worked as a Presbyterian Minister and later as an Episcopal Minister, working with the Episcopal Church in NYC before becoming Director of Family Therapy at Yale New Haven Hospital. He concluded his career at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital as Director of Residency Training.
His love of music continued throughout his life with piano, organ and various instruments. At age 40, in memory of his father who was an amateur cellist, he began to play cello for the next 20 to 30 years until arthritis made it too difficult to play.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Martha Nowycky, his brother Dan Steidl, his children; John Andrew Steidl (Julia Griffin), Jill Steidl, Jennifer Glen (Dan Glen), Jamison Steidl (Rachael Ross Steidl), his grandchildren, Nicholas Steidl (Kelly Steidl), Catherine Steidl, Christopher Steidl, Ashley Steidl, Whitney Steidl, Emily Steidl, Zoe Glen, Gage Glen, and 3 great-grandchildren Avery, Elliot, and Miles.
Burial will take place at St. John In-The -Wilderness Episcopal Church, Paul Smith, NY, at a later date.
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Tributes
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Frank And Anita
To Martha and the entire Steidl family: Thank you so much for inviting us to share in this triumphant celebration of John's life. We love John and thought we knew him; but, my God,what we learned about him from his closest ties was what a wondrous gift he was in so many ways. His zest for life and his concerns for humanity were exposed in great detail and I always thought that there was a spiritual side buried somewhere deep---never knew about his ministry and he never mentioned religion or God to me. John was a guiding light and somewhat of an anchor to me during a stressful and confusing time many years ago and I shall always be grateful for his presence and guidance; and he did it in a way that Jamie made reference to, opening my eyes and heart with questions, not answers. Anita and I will miss John, but will always think of him as part of our extended family with our children and standard poodle. I think of John often in my car on the way to work --when Anita wanted to move out of the city and I didn't, John,in his inimitable way, suggested that if we do so,I should buy a really desirable car to drive to the city every day; and so for the last 27 years I've had the car of my choice because Anita knew that John gave his blessing. We are indeed thankful to have spent some wonderful moments with Martha and John and now with the rest of the family. Scotch was truly the beverage of the day on 11/21/2020!!!
Gloria Falzer
We have treasured our 21 year friendship with Martha & John. Early on we enjoyed John's wonderful dinners always accompanied by good wines and the past few years were lucky to join them at the Vineyard a few times. John's intelligence and wit made for lively conversations. He was a great listener, a good storyteller and his advice always honest and sensible. We miss those talks and sharing a glass of scotch with him.
Claire Altschuler
I liked John the moment I met him. He exuded warmth and interest in others while also being just a little bit cynical. His intelligence, sense of humor, and interesting conversations made him such a pleasure to be with. I miss John now but am grateful for the memories I'll always have of the many happy times Stu and I spent with him and Martha.
Charlie Greer
Sunday brunch in NYC, mussels on the deck on the vineyard, caviar and vodka at Petrossians, cooking in the kitchen, seeing John and Martha together, always with great conversations and many, many shared laughs. John is deeply missed by so many
Sandra Greer
I’ll remember John in Budapest when we were all together at the Gellert Hotel enjoying a bottle of Tokai in our room. We were all warm, tired and happy to be together for a Hungarian adventure I’ll always remember. We love you, John.
Patricia Verkley
Spending time in the garden with John and my cousin, Martha, was one of our greatest pleasures when we came for our regular visits from Canada. John loved to entertain, and we spent countless hours talking together, sharing family stories, and playing with their wonderful poodles. John, you will be greatly missed by us, including David, Christian, and the rest of the Sorokowski family. Our love goes out to his beloved wife, and our cousin, Martha.
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