Dean Michael Steigauf

Dean Steigauf, 62, of Jersey City, NJ, Died with Dignity on July 15th,2020, with his loving husband John Henry Ernestine at his side. The cause of death was melanoma. Dean was born in Buffalo, NY, to George (deceased) and Kathleen Steigauf and moved to New York City in 1980 after graduating from Rutgers College, Rutgers University. Dean's professional career in the real estate industry included time spent at Chase Manhattan Bank, the City of New York, and then almost 25 years at the Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon, culminating in the role of Managing Director, Head of Global Real Estate & Lease Administration. He was a Senior Director/Transactions Management at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) at the time of his death. In his long career, he was honored to have participated in or led projects as varied as; assisting the NYPD in identifying sites for the Tactical Narcotics Team created in 1988 after the murder of PO Edward Byrne. He leased over 1MM square feet to replace office space BNY lost after 9/11. He then negotiated the lease for Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, which allowed the Bank to diversify its NYC locations. In Europe and Asia, he was influential in the relocation and an upgrade of most of the Bank's sites, including London, Brussels, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. His final project for the Bank was the sale of One Wall Street HQ and the relocation to Brookfield Place. Once at JLL, he assisted his client in a successful consolidation of offices in Chicago. Dean felt his role as a manager was two-pronged: First, delivering the best real estate transaction possible, and secondly but just as essential to propel his team to continually focus on how they can grow themselves, both professionally and personally. In addition to his husband, John Henry Ernestine, Dean is survived by his daughters, Theresa Ernestine (Sandro) and Debra Ernestine. His grandchildren: Desire Ernestine and Bellamii Browne and Genevieve, Skylar and Emily Badette and Marissa Palazzo, his mother Kathleen Steigauf, siblings: Maripat Downey (Tim), Nancy Calzone (Steven), George (Leonora), and five nieces and nephews, Maureen Downey, Christopher Calzone, Michael Calzone, Sara Calzone, and Savannah Steigauf. Dean is predeceased by his father, George P. Steigauf, and his first partner Joseph Palazzo. Dean was an avid traveler; he and his husband John-Henry traveled abroad many times during their seventeen-year relationship. He immensely enjoyed going to New York City to Broadway Shows and made sure almost every playbill he received was saved. He found great satisfaction and fulfillment working with his team at JLL; he built long-lasting relationships and fostered a cohesive work environment whereby mutual respect and dignity were had by all and still is. He loved animals and especially his dog Natasha who was the biggest Siberian Husky in the park. He loved reading, and on any given day, you would find him reading the latest New York Times and anything published about real estate, which was his craft and passion. He loved sitting in the park with his husband John-Henry, with a coffee in hand, surrounded by nature and soaking in the sun. He enjoyed his time with his family and friends, traveling to Buffalo and Atlanta-Georgia, where they would gather in some of the most fantastic parts and stay up till the wee hours of the morning sharing stores, and usually, it would be the oldest among the group that would be the last to bed. He loved seeing his grandchildren and had more patience with his five grandchildren than anyone could ever imagine; he also found joy knowing they would go home to their parents at the end of the evening! He enjoyed the sunrise and the sunsets; in the early moments of the morning, before anyone would stir, you could find him sitting by the window overlooking the park, just soaking in the sun and peace. He loved his church, Grace Church Van Vorst, in Jersey City, NJ, and he served as a Greeter often, where he gladly handed out tags for people to be named, letting everyone know how happy he was to see them and to quote Dean "welcome to Grace!"