As a young boy he attended St. Charles Catholic Grade School and Chilton High School before transferring to Salvatorian Seminary in St. Nazianz, where he completed high school and junior college in 1949. He then entered St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana and completed his philosophy and theology studies. On June 4, 1955, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Bona at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay, Wis., and celebrated his first solemn Mass at his home parish of St. Charles Church in Charlesburg on June 9, 1955.
Fr. Steiner first served as assistant pastor at Holy Name Parish in Kimberly until 1956. From 1956 to 1968 he was an instructor at Sacred Heart Seminary in Oneida. During this time he received his master's degree in library science from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and a speech therapy major at Marquette University in Milwaukee. From 1968 to 1979 he served as pastor of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Niagara and was bestowed the honor of Monsignor (which means member of the Pope's household) in 1975. It was also during this time Fr. Steiner took an active role in the Cursillo Movement for retreats and followed the Niagara boy's basketball team all the way to the state championship in 1979.
From 1979 to 1989 he was pastor at Holy Name Church in Kimberly where he continued to be active in youth sports of all kinds and eventually was elected to the Kimberly High School Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1989 he moved to Stiles and was pastor of St. Patrick Church and St. Louis Church in Abrams until Aug. 1, 1994, when he was assigned to St. Anthony Church in Oconto Falls. Fr. Steiner served both St. Patrick in Stiles and St. Anthony Church in Oconto Falls until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1998 at which time he moved to Wrightstown.
Over the years, Fr. Steiner has been an avid Green Bay Packer fan and season ticket holder, having missed only seven home games in more than 40 years. He enjoyed hunting, card playing, golfing, Notre Dame football, boys high school basketball and football, girls basketball and all sports in general. Along with his brother, Leo, they attended the Brewers/Cubs game at Miller Park this past Tuesday.
He was privileged to have traveled in all 50 states during his life and this past March, traveled to Australia and New Zealand with two priest friends. Together with Fr. Frank Kerscher, they enjoyed their cottage at Townsend named "Frankenstein." Even since retirement, Fr. Steiner has continued to support the mission work of the church and has visited and supported missionaries in Haiti, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
He was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Wrightstown.
He leaves a brother and sister-in-law, Leo and Jeanette Steiner of Charlesburg; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Sister Agnes M. Steiner of Lake Forest, Calif., and Mary Gertrude and Orville Rieth of Chilton; many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews, and his fellow priests of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Emil and three sisters, Cecelia, Jennie and Lydia.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Main Street (Highway 22) and Cherry Avenue, Oconto Falls. Prayer service will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the church.
Reception of the body will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday by Fr. Dennis Bergsbaken at Holy Name of Jesus Parish Church in Kimberly. Visitation will continue until 9 p.m. Wednesday with a prayer vigil at 7 p.m.
Visitation will resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday until time of funeral Mass. The funeral liturgy, expressing our faith and our hope in the promised glory of the Lord's Resurrection, will be at noon Thursday at Holy Name of Jesus Parish Church in Kimberly. Bishop Robert J. Banks will be the main celebrant and Father Jack Mullarkey will preach the homily.
Burial will be in St. Charles Catholic Church Cemetery in Charlesburg.
The Jones Funeral Service in Oconto Falls is serving the family.