Carl Stegbauer

Carl Stegbauer, age 93 of Anderson Township, died peacefully at his home surrounded by family on January 8, 2023. He was the beloved husband for 56 years of Nancy Stegbauer (nee Willer), devoted father of Kathy (Mike) Restle and Joe (Lisa) Stegbauer, loving grandfather of Nick & Joey Restle and Reid, Tyler, Cooper, & Spencer Stegbauer, and dear brother of the late Vera Schmidt and Elmer Stegbauer. Carl’s cheerful sense of humor and genuine nature made him a friend to anyone who met him. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Friday, January 13th at 10 am. Friends may visit at the church on Friday from 9 to 10 am. A private family interment will be held at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Comboni Missionaries 1318 Nagel Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45255.

Life Story
Carl was born on April 10, 1929, to Joe and Ester Stegbauer in his family home. He was the middle child in the family, 6 years younger than his late sister Vera and 14 months older than his late brother Elmer. Carl came from a long line of farmers. His parents lived and worked the land where Anderson Mercy Hospital now sits until he was 9 years old. Then, they moved to a 152 acre farm in Perintown with an old farm house that used to be a stagecoach stop. He lived there with his family until he got married to Nancy at the age of 37. He served in the Army during the Korean War using his mechanical skills to repair trucks at Camp Rutgers. His family espoused the traditional and timeless values of hard work, commitment to family, and dedication to their faith and community. These became themes throughout all of Carl’s life.

Carl worked 34 years at IBM as a repairman of office equipment, mainly Selectric typewriters. He enjoyed traveling around the city and visiting with the office workers who became friends. He was good at this work and won several IBM Service Awards throughout his career. One fateful day, a beautiful, red-haired secretary Nancy caught his eye at Good Samaritan Hospital. They would tell the story of their meeting over the years to anyone who would listen. It got embellished to the point that Nancy broke her typewriter on purpose, but one day Carl got her phone number. They started dating and eventually married on May 7, 1966. They moved to their family home where they lived for the 56 years of their marriage. A year later daughter Kathy was born, and Joe followed 16 months later. Carl was a devoted and loving father who was always there for dinner and any of his children’s activities. He was very proud of his children and never lost an opportunity to share their successes with anyone who would kindly listen. Carl’s farming skills translated to keeping roses and growing a good-sized garden. He took impeccable care of the lawn; he loved to mow and fertilize it. When he retired, Nancy and Carl enjoyed gardening together and had beautiful plantings and flowers to show for it.

Few people are lucky enough to be retired for as long as they worked, and Carl was retired for 34 years. Not too long after retiring from IBM, Carl started Stegbauer Selectric Service, his own business repairing and selling IBM Selectric typewriters. Throughout his life Carl loved to travel and visit different places. He would often propose to Nancy a “day trip” when they had a day to themselves. They both hold fond memories of day trips to places like Berea, Shakertown, Nashville, Indiana; and Dublin, Ohio. They enjoyed the drive, a nice lunch, some shopping for Nancy, and, most of all, each other’s company. Carl and Nancy were fortunate enough to take larger adventures to several international locations including Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, and Ireland. Their favorite was Ireland which they visited twice. They also enjoyed travel in the United States, and most especially trips to Hilton Head with Joe’s and Kathy’s families over the years. Also in his retirement Carl went to the Mercy HealthPlex each weekday morning for more than a decade. The best part of the workout was the time around the coffee pot where he and many people over the years discussed the world’s problems and started their days with true friendship. One of Carl’s greatest joys in his retirement was welcoming his new son-in-law Mike and daughter-in-law Lisa and getting to know their families. He loved all six of his grandsons and took such great interest in knowing what they were doing. Carl was blessed with good health through most of his retirement. When forced to slow down, he loved watching the birds at his feeders from his chair in the sunroom. He waged war with the squirrels and devised many techniques for keeping them from the feeders. He watched the neighbor’s dogs and always perked up when one would stop by for a visit. He was known for his sweet tooth, and many friends kept him well-stocked with treats.

Carl was simply a great person. He was honest, kind, sincere, reliable, well-intentioned, loyal, and hard-working. He had a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor. It didn’t take a lot to make him happy in life. He focused on the right things: his family, his faith, and his friends. His cheerful sense of humor and genuine nature made him friends with anyone whom he met. When Carl’s health declined, he accepted his limitations with patience, and he was lucky enough to be able to do most of his aging at home. He was so appreciative of all those who took care of him and extended kindnesses during that time. We will all miss Carl and the way that he made us feel when we were around him. Carl truly enjoyed living, which is probably the reason why he lived so long. Without a doubt, he would want all of us to enjoy living as he did and to see how simple, seemingly little things can bring great joy and all add up to great life.