Obituary of John A. Stein
John Andrew Stein was called home to the Lord, surrounded by his family, on Monday, December 11th at the age of 68.
John is survived by his wife, Linda Stein; their children, Jennifer Browne and spouse George, Robert Stein and spouse Samantha, Richard Stein and spouse Julia, Elizabeth Lucio and spouse Leonel, Michael Stein, Timothy Stein, and Rebecca Stein; his grandchildren, David, Kathleen, Patrick, Brendan, Hannah, Megan, and Michael Browne, Madison, Camryn, Colten, and Zackary Stein, Sara and the newly born John Richard Stein, and Beckham and Maximus Lucio. He is also survived by his mother, Irene Stein, and his sisters, Judy Capazzi and June Feinstein. He is preceded in death by his father, John Stein; his step-father, Adolph Stein; his father-in-law, Stanley Osina; his mother-in-law, Eleanor Kerner, and his step-father-in-law, Fred Kerner.
John was born on July 5, 1949, in Brooklyn, NY, to John and Irene Stein. He lived in Brooklyn until the age of 5 and then moved to Plainview, NY, where he grew up. He graduated from Stony Brook University in 1971 with a degree in education. He earned his master’s degree from Long Island University and eventually went on to accrue 60 additional credits. He married Linda Osina, his high school sweetheart, on June 14, 1970, and they have welcomed seven children into their home. They lived on Long Island where John taught elementary school in Manorville, molding and influencing so many lives with his love, enthusiasm, and intelligence. During the summer months he worked as a police officer in Southhampton Township. After moving the family to New Jersey in 1988 to become members of the People of Hope (a Catholic community), John sacrificed for his family, commuting back and forth to continue to teach on Long Island until he retired after 32 years of teaching. But John was not done; even after retiring, he continued to touch lives, working for little compensation at Koinonia Academy, a private Christian school, for 11 years, all to share his love for kids and Jesus.
Throughout his life, John was a beloved counselor and administrator at Camp Riverbend for 28 years, a respected Boy Scout merit badge counselor, a talented basketball, cross country, and baseball coach, an active and dedicated leader in the prison ministry, an honored 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus, and a founding member of many church programs at Our Lady of the Mount in Warren. Through it all, John is remembered as a faithful and loving husband and an amazing father and grandfather, who always showed up for every game, recital, appointment, and flat tire. John was a caring and loving man that showed up at any time, day or night to share in his friends and family’s greatest triumphs or deepest struggles, always armed with heartfelt prayers. He will truly be missed by so many, but never forgotten, as he lives on in the legacy of his family and in the hearts of all those he touched with his encouraging, wise, and often humorous, words.
The wake is set for Thursday, December 14th, from 4:00-8:00 pm at Our Lady of the Mount Church, 167 Mount Bethel Road, in Warren. A funeral Mass celebrating his life is scheduled for Friday, December 15th, at 10:30 am at Our Lady of the Mount. The burial will take place at St. Mary’s Cemetery located on Plainfield Ave in Watchung. The repass will be held at Shepherd’s Hall at Our Lady of the Mount after the burial. All are welcome to attend and honor the life of John, an unforgettable man of God!
