On Thursday, December 17, 2020, Dr. Mark Steiner, loving husband, father of three, and grandfather of three, passed away at the age of 70.
Born on May 31, 1950 in East Lansing, Michigan, Mark was the youngest son of Dr. S. Daniel and Jean Steiner. He attended Cranbook School (1968) where he played football and hockey. Football brought Mark to Harvard (1972) where he was a starting defensive lineman. Mark eventually followed his father's footsteps into medicine and graduated from Columbia Medical School in 1978. He returned to Boston to train at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he met his wife, Dr. Mary Ellen McCann, and went on to become Chief of the Orthopedic Sports Medicine Service at the New England Baptist Hospital. During his career, he authored dozens of research papers and developed several innovative medical devices. Most importantly, medicine allowed Mark to return to Harvard Stadium as the team physician for the football team.
He was a fan of double bogey “Ivy League” golf, conservative politics, sailing, the Patriots, and Harvard athletics. His favorite place on Earth was the “cove” on Glen Lake in Michigan, where he spent summers growing up and returned each year with his own family.
He collected friends throughout life and was known for his wry sense of humor. As a devoted husband and father, Mark frequently said that his best decision in life was to get married and start a family. He was beloved by his patients and tackled life’s challenges with unflagging determination.
Mark was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in 2017. He endured the disease with grace and dignity. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen, his children and their spouses, Ben Steiner and Linda Li, Sarah Steiner, and Drs. Maria and Oleg Yerstein, and by three grandchildren, Daniel Steiner, Robert Steiner, and Elita Jean Yerstein. He is also survived by his siblings, Martha Caesar and Tom Steiner, their spouses and children, and many friends.
A wake will be held at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home at 477 Washington Street in Wellesley from 5pm to 8pm on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. A private Funeral Mass will be held at St. Paul’s Parish in Wellesley. In summer 2021, an ash scattering ceremony will be held at the top of Miller Hill in Glen Lake, Michigan.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in tribute to Mark at psp.org/steiner.