STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Steven Herzog, an East Berne native and man of many passions, died on Friday, July 29, 2022. He was 72. 

Mr. Herzog was the eldest child of William and Jane (née Komjathy) Herzog, born in Albany on Dec. 3, 1949. While a boy in East Berne, Mr. Herzog enjoyed camping trips with his grandparents on his mother’s side, Steve and Esther Komjathy, who also brought along Mr. Herzog’s siblings and cousins.

Mr. Herzog’s wife, Sally (née Fargo) Herzog said that spending time with their grandparents meant a lot to him and his young relatives, and instilled in them many fond memories. 

Mr. Herzog graduated from Berne-Knox High School in 1968 and served for four years in the United States Navy, until 1972, as a 2nd Class Sonar Technician. He served an additional two years in the Navy Reserve, leaving in 1974. 

Mr. Herzog was proud but not boastful of his time in the military, Mrs. Herzog said, and had a tattoo on his arm of a woman in a Navy cap from that period, which he would jokingly tell people was of his wife, leaving her to point out that, as his junior by 11 years, she was around 8 years old at the time. 

The two had met each other in the late 1970s when Mrs. Herzog’s sister, who worked for Mr. Herzog at a cash-register repair business, introduced them. They married a few years later, on June 6, 1981. 

“The proposal wasn’t as fancy as they do nowadays,” Mrs. Herzog said. “We were just … alone together and he gave me the ring and asked me to marry him.”

It was in part because of his sense of humor and easygoing attitude that Mrs. Herzog said yes, she recalled, adding, “We just kind of made a connection right away.”

From the ’70s through the ’90s, when he and his wife moved to Ohio so she could follow her job, Mr. Herzog was a hobby racer, driving go-karts, stock cars, and dragsters on race tracks in the region. He also rode motorcycles.

His interest in these things came from his natural mechanical aptitude — something he picked up from his father, uncle, and grandfather. 

On the quieter side, Mr. Herzog collected Hot Wheels model cars and sports cars, and would go on hunting trips in New York, Ohio, and Florida, sometimes taking his son, Andrew, along with him; he also liked to fish from his boat on Lake Erie, using handmade walleye lures. 

An engineer by trade, Mr. Herzog had been working for the New York State Office of General Services when he and his wife moved to Strongsville, Ohio in 1994, where Mrs. Herzog was following a job. In Ohio, Mr. Herzog was a plant electrician for Moen Faucet Corp. in Elyria, Ohio; a maintenance manager for Malco Inc. in Cleveland; a plant engineer for Thermagon Inc., also in Cleveland; and assistant engineer for JBC Technologies in North Ridgeville, Ohio.

Mr. Herzog continued many of his hobbies in Ohio and found some new ones, too. He would golf with his daughter, Sarah — one time scoring a hole-in-one with her at the North Olmstead Golf Course — and became involved with the junior golf program that she was a part of.

He was very active with the United Church of Christ, in Strongsville, serving on the board of trustees, playing Santa at the annual Christmas party, and flexing his cooking muscles for potlucks and the free lunch program. Mr. Herzog’s chili, in particular, was a favorite with the churchgoers. 

Mrs. Herzog’s family liked his cooking, too. 

“Whenever we’d go back and visit family, they’d ask, ‘Are you bringing [Mr. Herzog’s] cheesecake with you?’” she said, noting that he was the cook of the household during the entire 41 years they were married. 

He continued to camp in Ohio, too, at the Family Campground Center in Port Clinton, Ohio, where he and Mrs. Herzog had a trailer, and where he would drive his dog, Abby, around in a golf cart. They made many friends at that campground, which drew people from all over the state, Mrs. Herzog said. 

As a father who was very engaged with his kids when they were growing up, Mr. Herzog was especially proud of their accomplishments later in life — his daughter went on to become a nurse and his son became a charter boat captain.

In Mr. Herzog’s version of his own obituary, Mrs. Herzog said, the former seaman referred to his son as Captain Andrew in a gesture of respect. 

“He was definitely very proud,” she said. 

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Steven Herzog is survived by his loving wife, Sally Herzog; by his son, Andrew Herzog, and Andrew’s wife, Mallory, and by his daughter, Sarah Toth, and Sarah’s husband, Dale. He is also survived by his grandson, Aiden Herzog; by his brother,Marty Herzog, and Marty’s wife, Marie; by his brother Larry Herzog; by his brother Tim Herzog and Tim’s wife, Lynn; by his sister, Kim Herzog; and by several nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, two aunts, and several loving cousins.

His parents, William and Jane Herzog, died before him, as did two sisters, Debby Morey and Kathy Anderson.

A memorial service will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 13, at the United Church of Christ in Strongsville, on Pearl Road in Strongsville, Ohio. The family will receive visitors at the church from 10 to 11:30 a.m. prior to the memorial service. A luncheon at the church will follow the service.

His remains will be interred at the Saratoga National Cemetery at a later date.

Memorial messages may be left at altamontenterprise.com/milestones.

— Noah Zweifel