Steve Steinbacher passed away on Thursday, January 23, 2025, surrounded by his loving wife and children. Steve was born in Reichertshofen, Germany, on November 8, 1949, before emigrating to the United States with his parents Stephan and Elisabeth (Gorocics) Steinbacher and sister Catherine Mass (Metz) on June 10, 1952.
Steve graduated from Whitefish Bay High School in 1968 and was the first of his family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. As a young boy, Steve grew up with parents that spoke German and Hungarian at home, which didn’t stop him from getting into shenanigans with his younger brother Peter. His older sister Cathy always took great care of Steve when they were little, including comforting him on the boat trip over to America, and Steve in turn looked out for his younger siblings Peter and Terry. He was instilled with a serious work ethic (a trait he passed down to his children), working as a paper boy in Milwaukee and as a shop boy at Winkies in Whitefish Bay. In his twenties, Steve made sure to get in many hours of traveling, card playing, dancing, camping, and attending the concerts of some of his favorite bands like Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers.
Steve is survived by his beautiful wife of 50 years, Judy (Talarczyk) Steinbacher, whom he met dancing the night away at a corner tavern in Milwaukee, before getting married on July 20, 1974. This started his life as a family man, and his favorite way to spend his time. Steve loved being a coach for his kids’ basketball, baseball, and softball teams, which garnered him much love and admiration from children other than his own. Other favorite hobbies of Steve’s included gardening, reading, listening to music, and taking care of his lawn (though he wouldn’t admit it).
Steve spent 30+ years working tirelessly in social services for Dodge County, eventually becoming a very loved and respected Supervisor of the Adult Protective Services and Long-Term Support Unit. He fought for many individuals while in this position and demonstrated ethics and compassion for those that couldn’t always stick up for themselves. When he had time to take vacations from work, you would likely find him trout fishing on the Brule River, camping with his family at Two Bear Lake in Northern Wisconsin, or his favorite – riding rollercoasters in Disney World. Steve’s fascination and love of Disney World lasted his entire life, and he was convinced that everyone on Earth should love it, too. Later in life, Steve found joy as a grandpa and spent time giving his grandkids rides on his ATV and telling bad (dad) jokes.
In addition to his wife Judy, Steve is survived by his three children: Adam, Eric (Caitlyn Rockey), and Sarah (Andrew Robertson); his grandchildren: Rifton and Lyra Steinbacher. He is further survived by his loving siblings: Catherine (Metz) Mass, Peter Steinbacher (Karen Perry), Theresa (Joseph) Cerar; siblings in-law Carl and Joyce (Talarczyk) Simpson; and his many nephews and nieces that he loved very much. He is preceded in death by his parents Stephan and Elisabeth (Gorocics) Steinbacher and parents-in-law Casimir and Ruth Talarcyzk. He is also preceded in death by his brothers-in-law: Martin Mass, Dick Talarczyk, and Frank Talarczyk.
A special thank you to all the nurses that took care of Steve at the UW Health Cancer Center at ProHealth; he loved seeing your smiling faces and making dumb jokes with you. Additional thanks to the special team of nurses at AngelsGrace Hospice and the care and respect you showed Steve until the end.
A Celebration of Life will be held at CHURCH AND CHAPEL FUNERAL HOME, 1875 North Calhoun Road, Brookfield Wisconsin 53005 on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. Memorial visitation from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm followed by a family eulogy service at 12 pm.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in Steve’s name can be made to the American Red Cross at https://americanredcross.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.personalCampaign&participantID=12365