Kenneth Karl Steger Obituary
Writer and musician, husband and father, Kenneth Karl Steger ("Ken") left the embrace of his family and loving home on September 17, 2024, to greet eternity. Ken entered the world in a New Orleans hospital in April 1954, the first-born child of an elegant homemaker mom and an engineer dad. His young childhood was spent in a new neighborhood in Metairie on a block teeming with young children. Bees were caught in mason jars; turtles were captured in the canal at the end of the block; young boys on bicycles were more numerous than cars; and afternoons were filled with ball games in the street and "playing army" in backyard battlefields. The verdant New Orleans of that era—replete with flowers, tropical plants, birds, insects, and reptiles—was a boyhood paradise. In 1964, Ken's dad accepted a job with Monsanto, so the family, which had expanded to include a younger brother and sister, packed up the Plymouth Valiant and moved to Alvin, Texas. In a rural community that was home to future hall-of-fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, baseball was deified, and 10-year-old Ken proved himself to be an adept ballplayer. Compact and wiry, Ken became a starting catcher for both his Little League and Teenage League teams. His interest shifted to basketball in high school, and he earned a starting spot as a point guard in the varsity lineup. Dad was ecstatic about his son's athletic prowess, but little did he realize that he had sown the seeds for a premature end to Ken's athletic career when he and mom decided one Christmas to give Ken a guitar (ordered from a Sears & Roebuck catalog). It turned out that the manual dexterity that served Ken well in sports also made him an excellent guitar player. Music increasingly competed with athletic pursuits as he advanced through his high school years. Ultimately his love of music—and a strict "buzz cut" policy for athletes—resulted in Ken abandoning basketball and devoting his senior year to playing guitar, writing for the school newspaper, and becoming as hirsute as humanly possible. As high school graduation approached, both college and Vietnam were beckoning. Fortunately, the war wound down, and Ken was able to spend the next four years at Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, Texas, where he graduated in 1976, earning not only a degree but a smart, winsome, and lovely bride, Mary Friesenhahn. Working in journalism following graduation, Ken and Mary eventually settled in Katy, Texas. There Ken served as the Publisher and Editor of The Katy Times from 1985 until 2006, a position he enjoyed immensely and which suited him perfectly. Ken and Mary's marriage was filled with both triumph and tragedy. Together, they raised three beautiful, talented children—Jennifer, Stacey, and James—and grieved the loss of a precious infant child, Kristen, who died from sudden infant death syndrome. Mary suffered a brain injury in 2005, which left her partially disabled. As a result, they moved to Austin where Ken said goodbye to journalism and accepted a less demanding job so that he would have time to help his wife. Mary forged bravely ahead until her death in 2019. Ken assumed that the remainder of his life would be spent in bachelorhood, but fate intervened in a wonderful way when Ken met, fell in love with, and married Susan Ragas, the mother of his daughter Stacy's husband, Ryan, and co-grandparent of their mutual granddaughter, Mary Harper. Confusing, yes. Perfect, also yes. Ken happily moved from Austin to New Orleans to join Susan in her home, where he lived out the last few years of his life in a loving relationship, experiencing joy, security, and peace. In the midst of it all, rarely did a day pass when Ken did not spend an hour or two playing guitar and composing music. He had the soul of an artist and was a talented wordsmith. He was a good and loyal friend and loved his family well. He took especially great pride in his wife, three children, two sons-in-law, and beautiful granddaughter, Mary Harper. Ken will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege to know him. Ken is survived by his wife, Susan Ragas Steger; children, Jennifer Steger Santiago (Baltazar), Stacey Steger Davis (Ryan), and James Kenneth Steger; granddaughter, Mary Harper Davis; mother, Patricia S. Moore; brother, Christopher Steger (Carey); and Ken's New Orleans "daughters by marriage" Megan and Paige Davis. Ken was predeceased by his first wife, Mary Friesenhahn Steger; infant daughter, Kristen Steger; father, Melvin Edward Steger; sister, Kathryn Patricia Brisart; and stepfather, Haskell Moore. A memorial service will be held at Saint Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church, 126 W Oltorf Street, Austin, Texas 78704, on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Weavers of Hope, c/o Tenley Aldredge, 916 West Monroe Street, Austin, Texas 78704.