Steve Varneke

Born in Jersey City, Steve spent his childhood in north Jersey, attending schools in Garfield and Lodi. He moved to Seaside Heights as a teenager, and graduated from Central Regional High School. He attended Ocean County College.

A hard worker, Steve delivered newspapers when he was ten. When he got older, he worked on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, spending many a summer day making pizzas at The Sawmill. He told many hilarious stories about the escapades with his boyhood friends, Lance Starmer and Pete Gebhardt.

Steve enlisted in the U.S. Navy, but developing double-pneumonia during boot camp ended his military aspirations.

In the early 1980s, Steve worked at Anixter in Bricktown, then took a job in Paterson with Okonite, manufacturing electrical cables. After being laid-off from Okonite, Steve studied computer graphics. In 1999, he got a job as a sculptor with Capitol Ornamental Concrete in South Amboy. Through the years his duties at Capitol evolved as needed, including marketing and new product development.

Steve was a talented artist. He enjoyed drawing, sculpting, woodworking, carving and painting, and was a perfectionist. His artistry raised the bar, because once you saw his work, you measured everything else against it. “It’s good, but it’s not as good as Steve’s.” He would often make art for friends and the recipients were always delighted.

“He was hard to go to a craft fair with,” said his wife Rita, “every time I saw something I liked, he would say -Don’t buy that, I can make it!”

One of his proudest accomplishments while working at Capitol was sculpting “Officer Mourning”, a commemorative statue for the South Amboy P.B.A., which stands in front of town hall. Steve was honored to attend the statue dedication ceremony in May 2003.

Steve enjoyed digital photography, and liked to be outdoors, photographing nature. His family became accustomed to him shooing them aside, saying, “You’re in my shot.” He shared his photos with his friends and encouraged them to get outside more often.

Steve was an adventurer with a great sense of direction. He loved nothing more on a weekend than to put on his shoes, grab the camera, pack some sandwiches and put the family in the car to go discover new place to enjoy the beauty of nature. He was always visiting parks, zoos, arboretums and nature preserves. He loved waterfalls and light houses. He hiked and rafted at the Delaware Water Gap. He loved swimming in the ocean. He’d encourage his kids to catch frogs, turtles and salamanders. Then he’d photograph it, and the animal would be released unharmed.

Steve had an excellent sense of humor and a great infectious laugh. Several of his friends would tease him and say, “You’re not funny, Steve.” It became a life-long joke.

Steve enjoyed movies and television. He was a big fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, The X-Files and most sci-fi movies. He had some success making replica props for movie fans, and one of his pieces is displayed in a museum.

Steve was a gifted problem-solver and fixer of broken things. He was handy around the house. He would often come home to a family member holding up a piece of something, saying, “I broke this. Can you fix it?” And he always did.

Steve loved animals. During his lifetime, he kept freshwater fish, and had dogs, ducks, rabbits and lovebirds as pets. He enjoyed seeing animals in zoos, but even more enjoyed seeing them out in their natural habitat. His motto was, “Any day you see an eagle is a Perfect 10!”

Steve was married to Rita (Rogan) Varneke for twenty-five years. Together they raised three children, Kyle, Gwen and Pierce, who were the absolute joy of Steve’s life. Fatherhood was something Steve took to naturally, and he poured all of his effort and dedication into caring for his children. He was extremely proud of them. A big guy, he was a great cuddler with a soft heart. His children enchanted him, and his wife and kids were the main focus of his life.

Steve lived life walking to the beat of his own drummer. He had a personal code of ethics, and he stuck to it. He never drank, never smoked, never did drugs and never cursed. He didn’t care to impress people, and was a fan of the plaid flannel shirt. He was proud that he worked hard to support his family, and would give anything to make them happy.

Steve is survived by his wife Rita Varneke; his children, Kyle, Gwen and Pierce; his future daughter-in-law Samantha Phillips; his father Alfred Varneke; his mother Corrine (Lussier) Varneke of Wilkes-Barre, PA; his sister, Leslie Varneke; and ten nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, Feb 23 and Friday, Feb 24, from 2-4 pm. and 7 -9 p.m. at Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, 703 Main St., Toms River. A memorial service will take place Friday at 8 p.m. Please visit www.andersonandcampbell.com to share in Steven Varneke’s life story and leave thoughts and memories for his family.

In lieu of flowers, Steve would’ve preferred you to go outside and enjoy the beauty of nature with your family. Stop and smell the flowers where they’re growing.