Nancy Jane Hecker Steinegger, 89 years old, a resident of Stamford and formerly both Darien and Greenwich, passed away on Friday, Sept 16, 2022, with her loving family and family of caregivers by her side.
Nancy Jane Hecker Steinegger
Nancy was born April 19, 1933, in Stamford to the late Mable and William Hecker. She graduated from Stamford High School in 1951, and immediately began her 67-year marriage with her high school sweetheart, John Steinegger. By the age of 22, Nancy quickly learned how to keep herself, her husband, and their three children happy and thriving.
Volunteering as a Cub Scout den mother, PTA president, homeroom mother, and church lay teacher were critically important roles that made Nancy the best mother she could possibly be. As her children grew older, Nancy worked as an administrative assistant to the Treasurer at Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, assistant to the vice principal at New Canaan High School, and assistant to the Superintendent of the New Canaan Board of Education. Nancy also earned her real estate license and worked at a local real estate firm, but by the 1980’s, she solely focused on working with her husband in his growing real estate development company. While her career flourished, she liked to spend her free time in a bridge group, golf group, visiting Waverly Care residents, and taking both German and English Literature courses at UCONN Stamford.
Nancy was always proud of her Lockwood Mead ancestors being early settlers of the area where she grew up. Her curiosity, love of travel, and “go fever” (as she called it) with family and close girlfriends brought her to Europe, Asia, Cuba, and the Caribbean. Anyone who visited her was whisked away to NYC for Broadway entertainment. In between her activities, she loved to relax at her Naples, Florida residence of 20 years. Nancy’s most treasured travel experience was treating her extended family to a yearly vacation in Chatham, MA and Block Island, RI.
Nancy is survived by her loving sister Joan Hecker Wuerfele (Rolf) of Fuquay Varina, NC and sister-in-law Dorothy Steinegger Church of Burlingame, CA. Nancy leaves behind her three adoring children: Frank Steinegger (Karen) of Darien, CT, Claudia Steinegger Dey (Steve) of Bernardsville, NJ and Melinda Steinegger Audet (Bob) of Madison, CT. She also leaves behind eight grandchildren: John Steinegger (Alison) of Denver CO, Elisabeth Steinegger Anderson (Joe) of Littleton Colorado, Sarah Audet of North Hollywood CA, Wolf Audet of San Francisco CA, Malcolm Dey of Arlington VA, Lydia Dey of Denver CO, Peter Steinegger of Darien CT, Heidi Steinegger of NY NY; three great-grandchildren: James and Juliet Anderson of Littleton CO, William Steinegger of Denver CO, many loved nieces and nephews and her devoted caregiver, Rafaela Amaro.
[This obituary appeared on Legacy.com.]
Nancy was one of a kind. We worked together in the front office of New Canaan High School, and she was the shining light of good cheer, positivity and sensitivity at all times. Among other duties, she was the key support staff for the assistant principal whose responsibility was student attendance. There is no more onerous job in high school administration than checking on absences, calling home to inquire as to a missing student’s welfare, reading through errant student’s alibies, discerning fact from fiction and when a student comes in the office to account for an absence, knowing when to say: ‘Jimmy, you are not telling me the truth’…always with a smile. Few got by her innocent inquiries, and many learned an important lesson: “Always tell the truth, then you don’t have to remember what you said.”!! She was one-of-a kind indeed.