Harold Steben Obituary

Harold August Steben was born April 26, 1940 at the family home in Lombard to Arthur & Hilda Steben as the youngest of six children. His siblings along with some cousins attended a one room school house through 8th grade, and all stayed in the area after high school to raise their families. Hal was drafted into the Army in 1963 and after two years of service he left the Army to attend Arizona State University and graduated with a degree in Finance. He continued his education earning an MBA from Michigan State University. Towards the end of his educational years, he met Jean, a waitress at a restaurant in Villa Park. They married on August 22nd 1970 at Grace Lutheran Church in Villa Park. They had three children - Jenny, Scott and Andy. All three of his children are married and in a unique twist all three children also have two boys and a girl mirroring the dynamics of their upbringing.
While Hal chose finance as a career, he inherited his family's interest in wood working and construction. His dad, Arthur Steben, started a successful carpentry business - Steben Builders - which many of his family members took over and continued for many years. As a draftsman in college, Hal was able to design and draw the plans for many of their home additions and improvements. Hal really enjoyed residential architecture and when his children were young, he frequently took detours on the way home from church to look at old houses and porches along the way. In addition to investing so much into the family home in Wheaton, he also took an interest in other aspects of the home including making stained glass windows and clocks. He built several clocks and collected older clocks from countries around the world as he traveled.
Hal & Jean have been very active in their church, Faith Lutheran Church of Glen Ellyn, for forty years. In addition to serving in many capacities at the church over the years, Hal and Jean helped create an amazing group of friends that both enjoyed life events and supported each other and the community they lived in.
Hal loved baseball and was a big Cubs fan. He enjoyed golfing, and did so both locally and at several golf clubs around the US. When he had the time, he enjoyed reading biographies about famous historical figures from American history.
Hal and Jean enjoyed some wonderful travels to places including China, Thailand, Bali, Hawaii, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, a cruise down the Rhine River as well as annual trips to Arizona. Hal loved Arizona and they spent many Februarys enjoying the desert and taking a break from the long midwest winters. After their grandchildren were born Hal and Jean started traveling regularly to Maryland and Colorado for the grandkids' birthdays, as well as celebrating with the grandkids living in the Chicagoland area. Every year the entire family celebrated one holiday at their home in Wheaton and then Glen Ellyn, but the highlight for the whole family was always the week-long vacation to the beaches along Lake Michigan.
Hal was a man who liked the simple things in life - hard work, building, going to church, toasting and enjoying a glass of wine before dinner with Jean and family get-togethers. He modeled and respected hard work, strong work ethics, good planning and simple living. His wife and three children were blessed to be present at Hal's passing on October 14, 2025.
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