Obituary of James Steadman

James Keen Steadman, Ph.D., 77, of Montclair, died on Wednesday, June 12. Born to Robert and Calista Steadman in Marcellus, N.Y., Dr. Steadman went to public school there and in Lansing, M.I., where he was a State of Michigan high school wrestling champion. He attended Wayne State University, graduating in 1958, then went on to attend Columbia University, New York University and Stevens Institute of Technology for graduate school, receiving his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1981. He dedicated his life to teaching, serving as a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University and ten years as a Mathematics and Computer Science teacher at Barringer High School in Newark. Dr. Steadman was similarly passionate about helping others, particularly teens, expanding their educational and athletic horizons. He was an assistant wrestling and football coach at Barringer High School. He was very active at St. James Church, serving on the Vestry, singing in the choir and teaching Sunday school. He devoted much of his time to the Renaissance Church in Newark. He was also very involved in the local Democratic Party, frequently working the polls on Election Day and canvassing the community. He loved nothing more than to tutor and share his knowledge with others, whether about Hilbert and mathematics, Von Neumann and computers, Feynman and physics, or FDR and the New Deal. Dr. Steadman met his wife Nina Dihovicni Steadman at Wayne State University and was blessed with three children, James Gaja Steadman, Patricia Ann Steadman and Robert Foster Steadman; and six grandchildren, Josh Allen Wagner, Alexander James Steadman, Sarah Elizabeth Steadman, Mario Michael Martinez, Maximiliano Nicholas Martinez, and Arianna Loh Steadman. All of them survive him, as do his sister, Calista Agnes Schwartz, and three brothers, Lewis Tilden Steadman, Robert Anthony Steadman and Richard Foster Steadman. Donations in Dr. Steadman's memory may be made to the Renaissance Church in Newark, http://www.rcnministries.org/.