Obituary of Marie Adele Steen

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The word that was most often associated with Marie Adele Steen was vibrant. She entered this world on April 22, 1936, surprising all by being born ten and eleven years after her older brothers but immediately adding a sparkle to everyone’s eye. She grew up in Berkeley Heights and graduated in 1954 from the college-prep track of Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield, NJ, unusual for a female at this time. 

Marie’s mother was determined that her daughter would have the opportunity to go to college, so off to Douglass College at Rutgers the State University she went, graduating with a BA in Fine Arts. Her love for her experience at Douglass was so strong that she served on the board of the Class of 1958 following graduation, sometimes as president, and has planned their reunions every five years since.

In college Marie’s vitality resulted in having dates almost every night of the week, but in her senior year she went on a blind date that ended all of that. Charles “Cholly” Steen III swept her off her feet (literally, they went dancing till the wee hours in NYC) and the following Christmas he wired an engagement ring into a rose. They have enjoyed 65 years of adventures, all while singing lyrics from the Patsy Cline classic, “But we’’ll travel along, singing our song, side by side.”

While Marie was teaching Art in elementary schools in Berkeley Heights and Long Hill Township, she was putting Cholly through college until he founded Sarco, Inc in the attic of their rented apartment. This company then moved to their newly purchased home next door and added the needed secretarial help from Marie’s sister-in-law, Shirley, who worked from the dining room. Marie was always quick to tell others that she owned Sarco (even though Cholly actually ran it). After the arrival of Marie and Cholly’s two children – Valerie and Butch – they moved their enterprise to a building down the street in Stirling and moved their home to Bernardsville. They later added a summer house in Manahawkin, NJ.

Marie still helped out at Sarco when needed, but devoted most of her time and limitless energy to her children and the community. She was involved in Boy Scouts and was a Girl Scout leader for decades, even after her daughter left for college. Many of “her girls” kept in touch with her in their adult lives. Band was important to both of her children so she became the president of the Band Parents Association and spent each January working with the Bernards High students to design and paint the sets for Club Bernardo, as well as cooking the food for the hundreds of attendees on the nights of the performances.

After the high school years were over, Marie focused her volunteer efforts on The First Presbyterian Church of Bernardsville with exuberance. Serving as a Deacon she spearheaded the annual garage sale for many years and planned many of the functions, all while making life-long friendships with other congregants. Marie also helped the community at large with her commitment to The Bonafides of Somerset Hills, a women's club organized to enrich and improve the health, social, and civic welfare, often serving as an officer and coordinating many of their fund-raising and social events. Her friend Maureen said Marie’s cheerfulness lit up the meetings (even if she always arrived late).

Marie was always very proud of her work in local nursing homes and hospitals during her school years. When her children were in college, she extended this interest by taking an EMT course and scoring 105%, but was unable to physically serve because of back issues.

Later in life, Marie became involved with an organization that was not local – The Aberdeen Proving Grounds Ordnance Museum. The foundation’s mission is to obtain historically important weaponry. Marie was essential to all of the fund-raising activities and traveled quarterly to Maryland for board meetings.

Through all of these volunteering activities Cholly was always there to lend a hand because they were partners, but their favorite team pursuit was engaging in their shared passion for travel. They would drive the United States, sometimes for a month at a time, as well as enjoying Europe and Asia with their children and grandchildren or friends Bud and Carol. Marie and Cholly planned to visit all seven continents but were sidelined with health issues before they were able to cross Australia and Antarctica off their list. Marie’s liveliness made them many friends during these journeys. They never met a waiter they didn’t charm.

Although helping others was very important to Marie, family was her top priority and her greatest joy. 

Marie passed into eternal peace on Sunday, February 16th, in the Bernardsville home she loved, escorted from this world by her loving family and faithful caregivers. She is survived by her husband and lifelong partner-in-crime, Cholly Steen, her devoted daughter, Valerie Zanardi (Paul), and six cherished grandchildren – Christopher, Catherine, Spencer, and Caroline Zanardi, as well as Jacquelyn and Charles “Buddy” Steen V. These grandchildren often reminisce about the weekends they would individually spend with “Mimi and Poppy” which were filled with favorite movies, art projects, bedtime story creations, and chocolate chip pancakes. Marie’s love for merriment will be missed by her sisters-in-law, Pam Davie (John) and Pat Klemmer (Norm). Her nephews, Rick (Carol) and Gary Bryan (Patricia), have many fond childhood memories of camping and bowling with their fun aunt and uncle. Her nieces were especially loved by Marie — Samantha McIntosh, Juliet Baysa, and Jessica Saulson Trafton.

Marie was preceded in death by her son, Charles “Butch” Steen IV (Laurie), as well as her parents, Raymond and Marie Bryan, her brothers, Donald (Shirley) and Lawrence Bryan, and sister-in-law Penny Steen. 

The funeral service will be held at the Church of St. John on the Mountain, 379 Mount Harmony Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924 on Saturday, March 1st, at 10:30am in the morning with The Reverend Beth Rauen Sciaino officiating. Please feel free to wear brightly colored clothing to commemorate Marie’s vibrancy. A repast celebrating Marie’s life will immediately follow the service in the church’s Parish Hall.

Visitation will be held at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 on Friday, February 28th, from 4-7pm.

Entombment into the Somerset Hills Memorial Mausoleum, 95 Mount Airy Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 will be private for the family on Monday, March 3rd, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that tax-deductible donations be made in Marie’s memory to The Bonafides of Somerset Hills at PO Box 91, Basking Ridge NJ 07920 to help serve others in the community.

For further information, or to leave on online condolence message please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com