Obituary of Robert Steinbach

Robert A. Steinbach, aged 69, of Mahwah NJ on August 2, 2012. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, after a long, hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, the only child of Lester E. and Evelyn (nee Woodward) Steinbach. He grew up in Oswego, NY where he was active in Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He resided in Ridgewood, NJ for many years before moving to Mahwah in 2005. After graduating from Clarkson University he began his professional career at Grumman Aerospace where he supported the Lunar Space Module and the Navy's A6A and E2A aircraft. In 1965 he circled the globe for Grumman on the USS Independence, teaching the Navy how to use the computer software he helped design which monitored the A6A fighter jet while it was in the air. Upon his return he accepted a position as a supervisor at Grumman's Peconic, Long Island test facility overseeing the computer equipment that supported flight testing of the E2A fighter jet. He transferred to finance and earned an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. He was a CFO and Corporate Controller for the remainder of his career, working for various companies before becoming a consultant with the reputation for being able to fix ailing financial departments. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and a gentle, pleasant man who was loved by all who had the good fortune to know him. His passion was cooking and he spent years developing his skill, fixing sumptuous gourmet meals for his family and friends. He took classes at the Culinary Institute of New York in New York City and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. His vegetable garden was the envy of the neighborhood and supplied his kitchen with fresh organic vegetables and herbs from April to November. He also enjoyed house restoration, having restored a Victorian house in Ridgewood, and life at the beach, spending many happy days at the family's beach house in Delaware. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and beloved wife of 46 years Martha (nee Meyer) Steinbach, three devoted children: Christopher (Akiko) of Manhattan, Lesley Kroczynski of Mahwah and Sarah Hill (Jim) of Jackson Heights, Queens; three adoring grandchildren: Andrew and Evelyn Kroczynski and Riley Hill; his loving sister-in-law Mary Elizabeth Meyer; cousins, in-laws, their children and grandchildren. Calling hours will be held on Monday August 6 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home (www.vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ. Funeral services will be held at the Ramapo Reformed Church, 100 Island Road, Mahwah, NJ on Tuesday August 7 at 10am. Internment will take place in the church cemetery directly following the service. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Center for Food Action, 90 Ridge Road, Mahwah, NJ 07430 or the Lustgarten Foundation, 1111 Stewart Ave, Bethpage, NY 11714.