Steinfeld, Harry S. (1912-2007)

STEINFELD, RASCHKOW, LEBEK, INGLIS

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 4/3/2010 at 18:30:52

Harry S. Steinfeld - Apr. 8, 1912 - Dec. 3, 2007

Harry S. Steinfeld, a longtime resident of Tenafly (Bergen County), New Jersey, died on December 3, 2007, at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake, Iowa. He was 95 years old.

Harry was born on April 8, 1912, in Breslau, Germany, (a city in the eastern part of Germany called Silesia, now part of Poland), the son of Moritz and Alberta (Raschkow) Steinfeld. His parents were both of Jewish ancestry. He had a brother, Walter, and a sister, Gertrude; his father was a banker.

Harry studied law for three years in Germany with the goal of becoming a judge. However, when the Nazis took power, Harry was forced to quit his studies, and he never completed his law degree. Harry's brother, Walter, was killed during a demonstration against Hitler in 1933, just five days after Hitler had taken power. It took three years for Harry to leave Germany and emigrate to the U.S.

Harry finally arrived in the U.S. in 1936, and started working in New York City. He was drafted into the U.S. Army (30th Infantry Division) in 1942. Harry fought his way from the Normandy beaches through the Battle of the Bulge into Germany where he was wounded in 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his service to his newly-adopted country.

After the war Harry returned to New York where he re-joined his former employer, a firm that manufactured and imported Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments. He worked for this company for 35 years, becoming import manager and traveling frequently to Japan and Hong Kong.

In 1950, Harry married Rosemarie Lebek, who had also grown up in Breslau, but had not managed to emigrate to the U.S. until after the war. They met in New York City, and after their marriage, bought a house in Tenafly where they lived for 53 years. Two sons were born to them, Peter and Andrew, who made Harry into a most loving and concerned, wonderful father. Harry became an active member of the Presbyterian Church in Tenafly, serving as deacon and elder. Service became Harry’s trademark.

Both sons went through college and graduate studies. Peter married, had three children (Coryn, Nathaniel, Gwendolyn) with his first wife Laura Inglis, and settled in Storm Lake. Andrew chose international studies as his career and has been a foreign service diplomat with the U.S. State Department since 1980, serving in many different countries.

Harry retired at the age of 72. Not being used to remaining unproductive, he found himself a volunteer job in Hackensack, N.J., where he worked tirelessly for an agency that helped senior citizens find paid work in order to survive. Later, Harry became a volunteer for the Red Cross in Englewood, N.J. His motto was “sharing and caring” and he lived his whole life accordingly. Harry never stopped helping, advising, and being concerned about everyone with whom he came into contact in his long life.

In 2003, Harry and Rosemarie moved into Otsego Place, an assisted living facility in Storm Lake where their son Peter is a professor at Buena Vista University. After four years of slowly failing health, Harry needed more care and was moved this past September to the nursing home at Methodist Manor. He was taken to the hospital for his last two days and died peacefully in his sleep.

He is survived by his wife Rosemarie (Storm Lake), son Peter (Storm Lake), son Andrew (Washington, D.C.), three grandchildren – Coryn (Chicago, IL.), Nathaniel (Washington, D.C.), and Gwendolyn (Iowa City), Peter’s second wife Julie, and family, nephew Martin (Stow, MA), niece Helen (Newcastle, UK), and numerous relatives and friends who will all miss him and long remember this sunny and positive personality who gave so much of himself to all.

Visitation, a family memorial service, and a reception will be held on Sunday, December 23, 2007, at 7 p.m. at the home of Peter and Julie Steinfeld, 110 West Lakeshore Drive, Storm Lake. Burial will be in the Storm Lake Cemetery. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of arrangements.

Copyright © 2007, Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home

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