Deceased October 3, 2023

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In Memory

Steve died on Oct. 3, 2023, at the age of 95 in the St. Louis area, where he had spent almost his entire life. 

He prepped at Webster Groves High School in Missouri. At Amherst, he joined Beta Theta Pi, worked for The Amherst Student and was a senior sports correspondent for the News Bureau. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, on a Rotary Fellowship, he journeyed to St. Andrews in Scotland, where he studied history and earned a degree in public health.

During the Korean War, he went to officers’ candidate school in the Coast Guard and was discharged as a lieutenant JG. Then it was natural for him to return to St. Louis and join Airtherm Manufacturing Co., which produced commercial and industrial heating and air-conditioning equipment. It was owned and run by his father. Steve succeeded his dad and was there from 1954 until the company was sold in 2000. Along the way, Steve served on the boards of Missouri Valley College and the United Missouri Bank.

Steve had a passion for music. At Amherst, he was a member of the Double Quartet. In his 80s, he sang with a barbershop quartet in St. Louis. He also enjoyed playing the piano and was particularly fond of ragtime. Hobbies included following the St. Louis Cardinals (he was on the Amherst baseball team) and fly-fishing.

Steve was predeceased by his wife, Laura. He is survived by daughters Cindy Dolan (Jim) and Kathy Mooney (Jim), plus two grandchildren and one step-grandchild. 

John Priesing ’50