Richard Blaine Steiger

Richard (Dick) Blaine Steiger, 86, passed away May 6th at his winter home in Palm City, Florida. Born in Detroit on September 22, 1936, he soon moved with his family to Traverse City. He attended and played football for Traverse City Central High School where he met the love of his life, Nancy Kanitz. Richard and Nancy were married in 1958, and Richard graduated from the University of Michigan in 1959. They were happily married until Nancy's death in 2015. They raised their three children, Laura, Tom, and Jana downstate in Belleville, MI.
Richard taught American History at Belleville High School, where he coached football, taught Driver's Ed., and led Wilderness Club high school students on backpacking trips. He also supported Belleville High School musicals with make-up, costumes, and props. Richard was a dedicated University of Michigan fan and had season tickets to Michigan football games for decades. Go Blue!

Traverse City remained a second home for the Steiger family, spending summers on their "up north" property on the Boardman River. After their retirement in 1991, Richard and Nancy moved back to Traverse City and made the Boardman River property their permanent home. As a retiree, Richard volunteered at the Area Agency on Aging helping the elderly navigate Medicare benefits. Richard was also a valued volunteer at the Traverse City Visitor Center from May 1996 until 2019.

Richard was an avid geocacher -- a treasure-hunting hobby using GPS coordinates. -- Using geocaching as a fun excuse to travel, Richard and Nancy found a cache in every county in Michigan and Florida, every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries. Richard hosted dozens of caches in and around Traverse City calling attention to local history and little-known beauty spots.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Genevieve (Van Pelt) Steiger Richardson and Claude Steiger, his wife Nancy (Kanitz) Steiger. He is survived by his children, Thomas Dickson Steiger, of San Diego, California; his daughter, Jana Louise Steiger, of Washington, D.C.; his daughter, Laura Jane Steiger; his son-in-law, George (Chip) Gillespie; and grandson, Dylan Patrick Gillespie, of Palm City, Florida
A memorial service will be held at 10 am July 23rd at Reynolds Jonkhoff in Traverse City

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the
Nancy Kanitz Steiger and Richard Steiger Fund
NMC Foundation
1701 E Front St
Traverse City, MI 49686