Early years:
Gary Reuben Steinmiller was born in Lincoln on Sept. 13, 1939, to Reuben and Mollie (Strauch) Steinmiller. He was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lincoln. He attended elementary school at Immanuel Lutheran and Lincoln Public Schools. Gary graduated from Lincoln High School in 1956.
Following high school, he attended Concordia Teachers College in Seward, earning his Bachelors’ Degree in Education in 1960. In college, he played football, basketball and baseball (hitting .400 during his senior year). He then earned his Masters’ Degree in Physical Education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1965 and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1971.
His life’s work:
Gary’s calling was being both a teacher and coach. His teaching experience was at St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Cleveland, Ohio, (1960-1962) and at Concordia College (Concordia University) in Seward (1962-1986). At Concordia, he taught physical education classes and coached. Over the years, he was an assistant football coach, assistant basketball coach, head baseball coach, as well as the swimming, golf and tennis coach.
Athletics and officiating athletic games were Gary’s passions. For many years, he officiated both high school and college football, baseball and basketball games. Gary proudly served as an official for the Nebraska State Girls’ Basketball Tournaments and Regional College Women’s Basketball Tournaments. He was especially honored to be selected as an official for the Nebraska Shrine Bowl football game in 1979. This was meaningful as the Shriner’s mission aligned with Gary’s: To positively impact the lives of those around us.
His family:
Gary married Edith Herzberg at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clarinda, Iowa, on Aug. 13, 1961. Their marriage was blessed with two daughters, Katherine Ann and Elizabeth Ann. He will be remembered for his smile, being a die-hard fan of the Nebraska Huskers, his strong Lutheran faith and his joy in being “Grandpa.”
Gary passed away Feb. 10, 2024, in Lincoln, at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife, Edith Steinmiller of Seward; daughters, Katherine Krohn (John Stromberger) of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Elizabeth Steinmiller (Andrei Thomas-Tikhonenko) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; grandchildren, Sarah and Peter Krohn and Alexander and Nicolas Thomas-Tikhonenko; sister, Mary Betten; and nephews, Mark and Mike Betten. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Reuben and Mollie Steinmiller; and brother-in-law, Don Betten.
The funeral service was Feb. 17 at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward with committal at the Greenwood Cemetery in Seward. Arrangements by Volzke Funeral Home in Seward.
