Obituaries

Obituary: John 'Jay' Steeneck, 49, Longtime Fairfield Resident

Calling hours will be held on Friday from 2 - 4 p.m. and 5 -7 p.m. at Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

[Editor's note: This obituary was provided by Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home.]

John H. (Jay) Steeneck, II, 49, of Fairfield, passed away suddenly, but peacefully at home, from complications of diabetes earlier this week.

Jay was born to John H. and Beatrice DuPont Steeneck on May 1, 1963 in Bridgeport. He lived in Trumbull from 1963 to 1968 and thereafter in Fairfield, where he graduated from Fairfield public schools, including Andrew Warde High School class of 1982, where he played on the Varsity Football Team. He attended the University of Bridgeport for a year, before transferring to and graduating from Georgetown University in 1986, where he was a passionate member of the Varsity Crew Team. There, Jay majored in Business and Accounting. He helped run the family-owned and operated Wash Tub Laundromats in Connecticut for many years. 

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Always a lifelong learner, Jay was a voracious reader and test taker. Over the years, he was a licensed stockbroker, a commercial realtor, an insurance broker and a financial consultant. After passing his CPA, he was an accountant with the IRS. Ever curious and an initiator, Jay was often self-employed. 

Jay was an avid traveler and a big NY Giants fan. He enjoyed singing Frank Sinatra classics and dancing. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Dot Kish, Jay developed a passion for the Opera and annually went to the opening of the Met.  In the ‘90s, he passed his brokerage exams, flew to Hong Kong and got a job as a stockbroker there. Jay’s love of travel took him throughout Europe, Mexico, Asia and the United States. He frequently visited places on foot where he could meet and get to know the local inhabitants and their communities. In 1998, he rode his bicycle cross country, seeing new places and visiting old friends along the way.  

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Last but not least, Jay was a political enthusiast. He was a longtime member of the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee. He served as Co-Chair of the 4th Congressional District 1988 Gore for President Campaign and was the Chair of the 1992 4th Congressional District (Tsongas) National Convention Delegate Selection Convention. He also served on the Fairfield Board of Tax Review.  

Jay was very active in the Young Democrats, serving as President of the Fairfield Young Dems (1986-1994) and the Connecticut Young Democrats (1987-1993).  He was a delegate to the 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1995 National Young Democratic Conventions. In 1994, he received the Robert F. Kennedy Award, the highest award the Connecticut Young Democrats can give.  He also served as a delegate from Fairfield to most State and Congressional Democratic conventions from 1988 to 2006. 

Jay was predeceased by his father, John Sr. He is survived by his mother, Beatrice Steeneck, and sister, Sherri Steeneck, both of Fairfield.

Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 10 a.m. directly at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Fairfield.  Interment will follow in Oak Lawn Cemetery. Friends may greet the family on Friday, February 22, 2013 from 2-4 and 5-7 p.m. at the Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Road in Fairfield Center.

In lieu of flowers, memorial  contributions can be made to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) at 3803 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203 or www.nami.org and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) at 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004 or www.jdrf.org.

To send an online condolence, please visit www.shaughnesseybanks.com


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