Robert Steingut

Robert (Bob or Bobby) Steingut passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at the age of 78. The larger than life personality, aptly described by his nickname, Whale, leaves behind his beloved wife Eileen, adored daughters, Caitlyn and Maggie, their respective spouses Kay and Chris, and the apple of his eye, his first grandchild, Josie. He also leaves his brother and sister, Teddy (Carolyn) and Ilene (Giuseppe), and too many relatives and cherished chosen family to count. He was the son of the late Madi and Stanley Steingut.

Bobby grew up in Crown Heights, introducing himself as a Brooklynite throughout his life, always saying he bled Dodger Blue. In the late 1960s, he taught in Brooklyn public schools for three years, which had a huge impact on him. He remained close to many of his students, and encouraged any small child he met to "read a lot."

He was a Cum Laude graduate of New York Law School where he was an editor of Law Review. First elected in 1973, he served as Brooklyn's Councilman-at-Large until 1983. While his primary concentration was on education, health, and the criminal justice system, he considered his legislation mandating curb cuts in NYC his greatest legislative accomplishment.

Appointed by Mayor Lindsay to the Board of the Brooklyn Public Library, he served through the Beame and Koch administrations. He was also a member of the Board of the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services as well as the Brooklyn Jewish Community Council. Bob was honored by a number of civic and charitable groups, including being recognized as Man of The Year by B'nai Brith. In 1983, Governor Mario Cuomo appointed him Chair of the New York State Workers Compensation Board, where he instituted innovative programs to better serve injured workers and their employers.

Outside of his career in public service, Bobby was passionate about so much. He never stopped collecting baseball cards from his days at Ebbets Field, often dressed in his favorite color purple, had many collections and hobbies, and enthusiastically talked to strangers, always leaving them smiling.

He was the most loving father, husband and grandfather, putting his girls above all else. His charisma, humor, huge heart, and ability to make everyone he met feel special will be missed by all. We will carry him in our hearts forever. When you think of Bobby, please smile - we know he is smiling back.

In lieu of flowers, we think Bobby would love if you considered supporting the conservation of whales via the WWF Whales program https://wwfwhales.org/ or donating to a charity you think he would find meaningful.

Funeral service to be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th Street, NYC, on Friday, May 10th at 1:30pm.