Istvan “Steve” Bauer

Istvan “Steve” Bauer, 77, of Old Tappan, NJ, formerly of Glendale, Queens, NY, passed away at home on Friday, January 5, 2024. Beloved husband of Susan (nee Altner). Loving father of Stephanie Marshall and her husband Corry and Nicholas and his wife Kristy. Cherished grandfather of Grace, Dorothy, Diana,and Nicole. Son of the late Mihaly and Etelka Bauer. Dear brother of Mihaly Bauer and the late Sandor Bauer and brother-in-law of Gizike, Katalyn and the late Etelka. Brother-in-law to Caroline and Steve Crawford, Deborah and John Cappiello, Bernadine Altner, Laura Altner, Helaine and Daniel Saccente, Karla Altner, Jacob and Kathleen Altner, as well as uncle and great uncle to many. He loved his dogs, but he especially loved his grandchildren. They were his everything.

Steve led an incredible life, one that wasn’t easy. Growing up in Budapest, Hungary, he saw the rise of Communism, and what it did to his beloved country, narrowly escaping death when the Russians invaded in 1956. Determined and tenacious (one might say stubborn), Steve crawled over the border through a minefield in 1966 to escape from Hungary. From there he spent a year in a refugee camp in Capua, Italy before joining his cousins Maria and Ferenc “Frank” Bauer in Glendale, NY. A trained cabinetmaker, he went to work as a roofer and carpenter when coming to the United States.  The opportunity to work as a carpenter brought him out to Massapequa, NY and is where he met his wife Susan.  He later partnered with Istvan “Uncle Steve” Klug to start Glendale Roofing & Carpentry in Queens, NY where he worked until he retired. His kids, and likely anyone else in the car driving around Queens, were a captive audience in pointing out Glendale Roofing & Carpentry’s lasting craftsmanship on roofs and houses all over Queens.  He worked seven days a week to put his kids (and Susan) through college, and was immensely proud of their accomplishments. 

In his free time, he bowled each week in leagues in Queens for many years, sometimes taking his kids to tag along and beg for arcade money.  He was an ardent fisherman, from Baja to the Jones Beach Pier, where he developed a fishing technique utilizing roofing insulation to make floats and using the tide to get to areas other fisherman couldn’t. Besides bowling and fishing, he was quite resourceful and was an original “recycler.” 

Despite being a dog-lover, he seemingly had nine lives. He survived escaping Hungary. He survived a tumor the size of a fist in his heart that was hanging on by a thread. He survived debilitating Guillain-Barre disease. He was stronger than a bull, and he lived the American dream and will be missed.

Picture is of Steve the day he became an United States Citizen.

Visiting hours are Wednesday, January 10, 2024 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ. A short service and shared memories will be at 8 PM during visiting hours. Funeral procession will leave from Pizzi at 11:45 AM on Thursday, January 11, 2024. Donations may be made in his name to Carry the Load – https://www.carrytheload.org/donate/

www.pizzifuneralhome.com