Yves G. Steger, 81, of Londonderry, NH, passed away peacefully on Wednesday April 17, 2024, at the Courville at Manchester. He was born on October 20, 1942, in Antwerp Belgium, a son of the late Fernand and Yvonne (Dandois) Steger.
He is survived by his wife, Edwige (Richebé) Steger, his son, Patrick Steger and wife Kimberley Derry Steger; his daughter, Claire Steger, three grandchildren, Kullen, Sydney and Isabelle, as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family. He was predeceased by one brother, Michel Steger.
Yves was born in Antwerp during the second World War. His family would move to Brussels when he started elementary school. His youth was spent largely in scouting and going on adventures with his younger brother.
He studied chemistry in college, eventually earning a Ph.D. During this time, he was leading a folk dance group, where he met Edwige Richebé. She was also studying chemistry and they spent much time together in the labs. Yves served in the Belgian military (mandatory at the time), he was the leader of a tank group and as an officer in a cavalry unit also rode horses.
He and Edwige married in 1969. They had two children, Patrick and Claire. Yves found work at a computer company, which led to an offer to move to the United States. The family packed up and moved to Florida in 1980. Yves was a product planner for most of his career. He traveled extensively for work and was always enthusiastic about learning about the places he visited, including learning to speak Chinese. Yves’ work transitioned to networking products, leading to a move to New Hampshire in the early 1990’s.
Yves enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. As “Grandy” he relished sharing stories, teaching them about the Belgian cultural heritage such as going to the annual St. Nicholas celebrations, Boston Pops holiday concerts, and various coastal family vacations.
He delighted in planning and going on travel, always choosing to experience as much of the world as he could. These trips often included family, he enjoyed sharing these new experiences with loved ones. Although mainly residing in the US, Yves and Edwige continued to visit their extensive family in Belgium. These travels often centered around a get-together or specific visit, where Yves’ experience as a troop leader shone through in planning and leading family adventures. A large part of these adventures included educational, cultural and historical visits, he always enjoyed learning more through his visits to the great wall of China, Mt. Fuji, Rome, Athens, Istanbul, and many travels throughout Europe and the US.
Yves was at home on the sea, an avid sailor and scuba diver. His sailing experience ranged from captaining sailboats in the North Sea, to family sailing adventures in the Caribbean. He realized his dream of owning his own boat, a 37’ sloop. Favorite sailing jaunts included the Isles of Shoals and various trips along the Maine coast. He enjoyed sharing sailing stories with fellow members of the Little Harbor Yacht Club.
Yves was a life-long learner and had many hobbies. He loved food and cooking, and took a course at the Culinary Institute of America. He was a wine connoisseur and cocktail enthusiast, and collected martini glasses. His love of astronomy went along with his navigation skills. In retirement, he added many more hobbies: anime/manga, Minecraft, and X-Plane flight simulator, spending much time learning about different aircraft or designing his own, and flying routes that fascinated him. He was always passionate about learning new things, using his scientific research background and his natural curiosity to dive deep into whatever piqued his interest.
He always remained young at heart, with joy and a sense of humor. He was a big dreamer with a long bucket list, he realized his life-long dream of crossing the Atlantic on a sailing ship. He was always enthusiastic and positive, with a generous and kind spirit.
There are no calling hours. Following cremation, a celebration of life will be held by the family at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or at https://www.stjude.org/