Brother Thomas Damian Steger, Fsc

BROTHER THOMAS DAMIAN STEGER, FSC

Saint Mary’s community mourns passing of Brother Damian Steger, FSC ’58, M’90

Long-time administrator of Saint Mary’s Press, Brother Damian Steger, FSC ’58, M’90 passed away Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, at St. Anne Extended Health Care in Winona. He was 79.

A De La Salle Christian Brother for 61 years, he was born Thomas Martin Steger Feb. 24, 1936, in St. Louis, Mo., to John and Mary Elizabeth (Drumm) Steger.

He graduated from Cretin High School in St. Paul, Minn., and obtained a B.A. in Business from Saint Mary’s University. He entered the novitiate of the Christian Brothers in 1954 in Glencoe, Mo., and pronounced his first vows in 1955 and his perpetual vows in 1961. He later earned an M.A. in Management from Saint Mary's in 1990.

Prior to his retirement in 2009, Brother Damian worked for Saint Mary’s Press for more than 50 years. He began working at Saint Mary’s Press as a pressman in 1958 and held a variety of positions. In 1974, he was asked to serve as the organization’s second president, a position he held for 27 years. He also served as its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Corporation.

While he worked at the Press, he served as a hall director at Saint Mary’s University for several years, mentoring college students who share fond memories. He lived in several Christian Brothers communities in Winona over the years.

He also served on the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees from 1984-94 and was also on the board of trustees and the finance committee at Lewis University in Illinois. And he served on the Christian Brothers Midwest District Finance Committee from 1995 to 2012.

Brother Damian was instrumental in founding and sustaining Fe y Vida, which for 20 years has served the pastoral needs of young Hispanics and their formation leaders in the U.S. and Latin America.

Survivors include brothers John “Jack” (Nan) of White Bear Lake, Minn.; James (Mary, now deceased) of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Joseph (Karen) Steger of Roseville, Minn.; nieces and nephews; and the De La Salle Christian Brothers. He was preceded in death by his parents and by a brother, Richard “Father Francis” Steger.

Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at SaintThomas More Chapel, located on Saint Mary’s University’s Winona Campus. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Interment will be at Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Winona.

Memorials can be directed to the Brother Alphonsus Pluth Scholarship, c/o Megan Sadowski, Saint Mary’s University, 700 Terrace Heights #21, Winona, MN 55987.

Online condolences or memories may be left for Brother Damian at www.watkowski-mulyck.com .