Stephen Lawrence Moor, 70

Stephen Lawrence Moor, 70, beloved husband, father, uncle, and friend, passed away suddenly on June 15, 2024.

Stephen Moor

Steve was born on April 1, 1954 and grew up in the Bronx borough of New York.  His parents, Frank and Theresa were immigrants from Romania.  It was because of his parents’ cultural background and their resolve to make a better life for themselves and their children in their newly adopted country that Steve developed into the man he was.

Steve attended Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx.  It was there that he not only developed his love of learning, but also his love of sports.  As a three sport athlete, Steve was the quarterback for the elite New York City Allstars Team in both baseball and football for two years in a row.  Recognized in many national publications as an All-American Quarterback, Steve was recruited by many outstanding universities in the country.   The legendary Ohio State football coach, Woody Hayes, came to Steve’s home to recruit him for their nationally recognized team.  Becoming one of the first life-defining decisions of his life, Steve turned him down, prioritizing his education to football fame.  He accepted a full athletic scholarship to attend Northwestern University playing Football and walking on to the Baseball team.

Helping Steve make this difficult decision to attend Northwestern was Mr. Ivan Combe founder of Combe, Inc., and himself an alumnus of the university.  Mr. Combe was an instrumental force in convincing Steve of the benefits of attending such a prestigious academic university.  Mr. Combe followed Steve’s collegiate career and saw in him the potential to become a valuable part of his expanding business.  Steve was recruited to join Combe, Inc. where he worked for over 40 years.

Possessing a fluency in German, Steve was selected to be the person to lead the international expansion for the company, starting their German division.

It was in Germany that Steve became acquainted with the German American football team, the Dusseldorf Panthers and eventually became their head coach in his spare time. The Panthers went on to become the German champions for two years in a row.

Steve was later offered an opportunity to become the announcer for the European American football league but decided to come back to the United States. While back in the United States, Steve was selected to broadcast the Super Bowl throughout Germany because of his fluency with the language and his knowledge of and passion for the sport.

When Steve returned to the United States, he made the decision to continue his education.  He moved back to Chicago and earned his masters’ degree at the prestigious University of Chicago.  This proved to be the best decision of his life as it was there that he met his dearest friend and future wife, Carolyn Prazenka.  During their 26+ years of marriage, they were blessed with three beautiful children.  Katarina lives in New York City working in sales, following her father’s professional background.  Andreas lives in New Canaan and is currently finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering at Quinnipiac University after working in the automotive industry.  Olivia recently graduated from Northwestern University and has begun her career in Data Analytics Consulting.

Steve was known for many things but mostly for his great sense of humor, his strong values, morals and ethics, his strong faith, and his generosity.  From the old neighborhood guys, to his college teammates, and to his professional colleagues,  Steve was always the same –  a great friend to all.

Steve was a member of the United Methodist Church of New Canaan for 20 years, serving on numerous committees and as a trustee.  You never had to ask Steve to help out, he just showed up all the time, for everyone; teaching the Youth how to use tools for their mission work; cleaning up from a flooded basement; running the Men’s fellowship, landscaping and fixing anything and everything.  He guided the church through the Pandemic, hours and hours of planning and cleaning.  One Christmas Eve, he and his family pulled up, popped the SUV trunk. and hauled out two 8’ patio heaters so we could worship outdoors.  He loved his church family and would do anything for every single member.  His generosity was tireless.  Steve loved spending Saturday mornings with his tennis and paddle tennis friends.  Often insisting his children go play when he couldn’t so they could share the joy he had playing with that special group of friends.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn (Prazenka), their three children whom he adored, Katarina (25), Andreas (24), and Olivia (22), his sister, Helga, his dear sister and brother in-laws, Barbara Moor, Matthew Prazenka, Diane Prazenka and Jose Martinez as well as his many nieces and nephews: Amy Gaylord, Alyssa Rivenburg, Victoria Rodriguez, Eric O’Neal, Brian O’Neal, Merrill Mauser, Aaron Prazenka, Anthony Franzen, Alexander Orozco, Brandon Orozco, Nicole Lozano, Ethan Cloonan, and his beloved mother-in-law, Jessica Agin and many grand nieces and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his brother, Frank Moor and niece Lynda DiLena.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, June 20 at the Nicholas F. Cognetta Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Myrtle Avenue, Stamford from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 21 at the United Methodist Church of New Cannan, 165 South Avenue, New Canaan, beginning at 11:00am which will also be live streamed.

To leave online condolences, please visit www.cognetta.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Cardinal Hayes High School Football Program at 650 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451 in Steve’s name.