Gerard “Gary” Van Steyn

A Life Well Lived

Gerard “Gary” Van Steyn, age 98, of Wayne, New Jersey, passed peacefully at home in his sleep on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Born on April 9, 1927, to John and Margaret (Groenewal) Van Steyn of Wayne, Gerard graduated from Pompton Lakes High School, Class of 1946. He lived his entire life in Wayne, the town where he was born, raised, worked, served, and built his family. His roots ran deep, and he was proud of it.

Before graduating high school, Gerard worked alongside his father at Van Steyn’s Nursery. For a time, he also raised turkeys as an ambitious side venture for a young man who was never afraid of hard work. Caring for them day after day required patience, consistency, and grit, qualities that would follow him throughout his life. Even then, he was someone who took responsibility seriously and saw things through.

Gerard dedicated 29 years to Van Steyn’s Nursery. He understood plants, soil, and seasons, and he took pride in growing things that would last.

In 1946, Gerard was drafted into the United States Army and served as a Private while stationed in Japan for one year. Upon returning home, he continued his service in the U.S. National Guard from 1947 to 1954, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant before being honorably discharged in 1954. Service to his country was something he carried with quiet dignity.

After the nursery was sold, Gerard worked for the Jeffer Hopkinson Law Firm as a messenger and courier for another ten years before retiring. He was also a certified Notary Public, trusted, dependable, and steady.

Gerard was a humble, hardworking, loving, generous, warm, gentle, and wise gentleman. He loved gardening, tinkering with cars and small engines, and could almost always be found working around the house or in his basement workshop. His hands were rarely still. If something needed fixing, planting, adjusting, or building, he was already on his way.

Gerard possessed a quiet artistic streak. He had an eye for landscape design and frequently helped neighbors shape the look and feel of their homes. Several years ago, his family uncovered pencil drawings he had created, careful and thoughtful works that revealed a depth of talent he had never mentioned. It seemed fitting that even his art was something he simply tended for himself.

He delighted in teaching his children and grandchildren his gardening skills, passing down what he knew with patience. One of his favorite winter traditions was creating family grave blankets alongside his children and grandchildren, carefully assembling greenery and remembrance together by hand.

When not working at his own home, Gerard could often be found helping neighbors or lending a hand to his children and grandchildren at theirs. Showing up to help was simply who he was.

He loved telling stories about his life and adventures, from rolling cannonballs down the hill into Goffle Brook Park to flying his airplane under the George Washington Bridge. He shared these stories with enthusiasm and a spark of mischief, leaving his children and grandchildren wide-eyed and smiling.

Gerard was a licensed pilot and owned three small Cessna airplanes over the years with his friend John Meyer. His favorite was the Cessna 210, which he flew up and down the East Coast either with John or with his family, simply because he could. Aside from his family, flying was his greatest joy. He loved the freedom of it, the precision of it, and the feeling of being above the world he had so carefully tended below.

Gerard also volunteered at the Wayne Historical Society, helping to preserve the town’s rich history. Just as he cared for gardens and machinery, he cared for stories and made sure the history of Wayne would be remembered.

He remained remarkably active well into his 90s, so much so that at times his children had to step in to slow him down and help out. It was not always easy for them or for him. Gerard valued his independence deeply and maintained that strong sense of self nearly to the very end. Even as age crept in, his instinct was still to fix, to tend, and to do.

Gerard is survived by his loving children:
Paul Van Steyn (wife Joanne, deceased 2015),

Bruce Van Steyn (wife Lised),
Janet (Van Steyn) Johnson (husband Ryer),

Scott Van Steyn (wife Barbara),

His grandchildren: Keith Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Steven Johnson, Amanda Van Steyn Hart (husband Christian), David Van Steyn, Alanna Van Steyn, Raymond Van Steyn (wife Adriana), and Adam Frontany;

His great-grandchildren: Jaelyn and Ryer Johnson, Justin Hart, Sofia and Cecelia Van Steyn; 

along with extended family and dear friends.

He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Margaret Darmstatter; his first wife, Ruth Joanne Van Steyn in 1984; his daughter, Renee (Van Steyn) Frontany in 1991; his grandson, Ryer Johnson Jr. in 2005; and his second wife, Patricia Van Steyn in 2023.

Gerard lived a full and dedicated life, rooted in one town, devoted to his family, faithful in service, and happiest when his hands were busy and his loved ones were near. Much of what he built was visible, including gardens, homes, machines, and stories. Some of it, like his artwork, was quieter. All of it was done with care.

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In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Gerard’s name may be made to Compassionate Care Hospice or to a charity of your choice.