John Alan Van Steenberg

John Alan Van Steenberg was born on March 17, 1947, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was the son of Donald Earl Van Steenberg and Martha May Van Steenberg. He had one sister, Anita Van Steenberg Hardy (dec), He was married to Judith Trimble Van Steenberg for fifty-five years. They have a son, Christopher John

Van Steenberg (wife Karen) who have two children Olivia Ann Van Steenberg (18) and William Alan VanSteenberg (16). Their daughter Catherine Van Steenberg Shockey (husband Casey) has two sons, Carter Earl Shockey (10) and Cole Alexander Shockey (6).

John graduated from Principia School in St. Louis where he received a National Merit Scholarship. In 1969, he graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. He joined the United States Marine Corps and graduated from Officer Candidate School, receiving his commission in December, 1969. He graduated from The Basic School with top honors.

John served in Vietnam as an infantry platoon commander, and upon his return was stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. There he was assigned as commanding officer, A Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division, standing at the right hand of the Marine Corps. In 1973, John was transferred to Marine Barracks, Fort Meade, MD, as commanding officer of the guard unit for the National Security Agency. After that completing tour, he resigned his commission to join the corporate world.

In 1978, he joined Kimberly-Clark in Memphis. During his 20-year career, he also managed the mill in Beech Island, SC, directed global operations in Neenah, WI, and built the Jenks, OK facility, where he and his team revolutionized the paper industry. He then served as Managing Director of Kimberly-Clark Australasia, in Sydney, Australia and President of Kimberly-Clark Europe & the Middle East. John retired in 1998.

John and Judy retired to Pinehurst, NC, where they lived for nine years. While there they were involved with Habitat for Moore County. He was an active member of the construction crew and co-founded a non-profit to repair homes for indigent homeowners. He was also an avid golfer at Pinehurst and the Country Club of North Carolina.

In 2008, they returned to Memphis where they resumed their membership at Christ Methodist Church. John was an active member of the Logos Sunday School Class. In addition he worked construction with Habitat for Humanity. He belonged to the Memphis Touchdown Club, feeding his life-long passion for Alabama football.

John was a strong man who loved deeply and gave generously. He loved God, his friends and Alabama football. Most importantly, he loved his family and took great care to instill in them all strong values, a love of adventure and a strong faith. He gave generously and took great pleasure in helping his fellow man. The world is a better place for having had him in it. He will be deeply missed.

Services will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026. Visitation will begin at 11:00 AM with the funeral service at 12:15 PM, at Christ Church Memphis, 4488 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117. Military honors will be rendered at 2:00 PM, at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, 4000 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, TN 38125.