Obituary of Peter Steenland

On October 20, 2013, Peter R. Steenland passed away peacefully at home, his hands held by Agnes Bush Steenland, his wife of seventy years, and his youngest daughter, Deb. Born on September 3, 1921, to Lena and Henry Steenland, Pete grew up in the depths of the Great Depression. Watching his hardworking, gentle father patiently walk the rounds of Clifton factories for a year in search of a job left him with a lifelong empathy for those suffering hard times. His values were also deeply shaped by the Christian Reformed Church and the Dutch immigrant community of his youth. Pete met his lifelong partner Agnes Bush Steenland in that same community. They were married on July 15, 1943, and raised five children together. To their children and friends, they were a true team, each other's best friend, the pattern of a real and lasting marriage. This past summer they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with their entire family. After an undistinguished academic career at Clifton High School, Pete was about to start his working life in New York City. Then Pearl Harbor happened. The next morning he was in downtown New York to enlist, one in a line of young men that snaked around the block. Pete served in the Coast Guard and was stationed in San Francisco and Bandon, Oregon before shipping out for the Pacific. He became a chief pharmacist's mate and often assisted in surgery while aboard the USS General Hugh L. Scott, a troop ship which made many crossings bringing fresh troops to the Pacific and carrying wounded back to the States. After the war Pete resumed his job at American Electric Power in New York. He began in the mail room, moved to Accounting, and then to the Fuel Department. When he retired, he was a senior Vice President, one of the last members of a generation who could work their way up through sheer ability and without a college degree. Pete shared with Agnes a love of reading, a deep respect for education, and a deep love for the church and its community. Pete loved to talk ideas and politics. As a young returning serviceman one day he found himself in front of the offices of the NYU graduate school of business. Somehow, despite his lack of a college degree, he talked his way into being allowed to take classes there and thrived in its intellectual atmosphere. For many years he was a member of the Aletheans club, a group of community leaders who met to discuss issues and ideas. He was a delegate to the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church and to the Newark Presbytery. He was also an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He was actively involved in the development of the Eastern Christian School Association and served on its Board of Directors, always harboring a special affection for Passaic Christian School on Pine St, where Agnes taught kindergarten for many years. Pete leaves his wife, Agnes; his sister, Marie; his children, Peter Jr. (Dolores), Sally (Prentice), Douglas (Carol), Patricia (Glen), and Deborah (Kim); his grandchildren Peter III, Margaret, William, Miya, and Noah; and great-grandchildren Nathan and Peter Logan Steenland. He was a man of faith, a servant of his God and his church, a good husband and a good father. Small children loved him immediately. He was the best storyteller ever, with a memory that never failed. On his last day, he told his family, "I have had a wonderful life. No one could have asked for more." We love you, Pete Steenland. We miss you so much. You will always be in our hearts. The family would like to thank caregiver Kurell Law for his friendship, humor, and compassion. Memorial contributions may be sent to Mustard Seed School, 422 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07030, or to Doctors Without Borders. A memorial service will be held at Cedar Crest Chapel in Pompton Plains, NJ, at 2 pm November 17.