John Charles Steger

John Steger, age 86 of Newcastle, passed away Tuesday, March 31, 2020. John Charles Steger was born November 5, 1933 in Redgranite, Wisconsin, the 5th of 11 children born to Alois Frederick Steger and Marietta Agnes (O'Keefe) Steger. He was raised in Redgranite and attended school there. Not long after, John answered the call to serve his country and joined the United States Air Force. John's life would change forever one night, when he stopped in the USO. It was there he met a young lady over a game of ping pong. Her name was Patsy Joyce Cotter, and John knew he had met his best friend and life partner. On April 5, 1956 John and Patsy made it official and were married at McConnel Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. In 1958, John transferred to the Oklahoma Air National Guard, and by 1964 he and his young family settled in Newcastle. Together they raised 4 children: daughters, Suzanne and Sharon and sons, John Jr. and Anthony (Tony). John was a proud Patriot, and an excellent aircraft mechanic. He served as a crew chief on a C-97 communications airplane dubbed the "Talking Bird" which flew support missions with President Kennedy. He retired as supervisor of the Air Guard maintenance dock after more than 34 years of dedicated service. He was a family man first and looked forward to family camping trips. He loved to fish and hunt and was involved in little league baseball and football. He and Patsy enjoyed traveling and visited all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. John was a man of faith and longtime member of St. Andrews Catholic Church where he volunteered his gardening skills. He was an avid walker and particularly enjoyed walking with his dog, Spot. He will be dearly missed!He was preceded in death by: His son, Anthony Steger; His parents, Alois and Marietta Steger; Sisters, Beatrice Stemler, Marjorie Thiel, Arlene Barrett and Patricia Kusubuski and Brothers, Alois Steger, Thomas Steger, Larry Steger and an infant, Kenneth Steger.John is survived by: His wife Patsy of the home; Daughters, Suzanne Gordon of Newalla and Sharon Hendrickson and husband, Brad of Newcastle; Son, John Steger and wife, Della of Newcastle; Sister, June Leigh and husband, Bob of Berlin, WI and Brother, James Steger and wife, Beverly of Berlin; Eight grandchildren, Molly Vukusich, Allie Hendrickson, Bradford Hendrickson, Drew Steger, Aaron Steger, Jordan Steger, Logan Steger and Jacob Steger. Eleven great- grandchildren; many nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends. John will be laid to rest 10:00 A.M. Saturday, April 4, 2020, in a private family service at Newcastle Memorial Gardens. The service will be live streamed, and you can follow Wilson Little on Facebook. Send online condolences @ www.wilsonlittle.com.

John Charles Steger

November 5, 1933 - March 31, 2020