Obituary of Rev. Stephen Szabo

Rev. Stephen Szabo, 91 of Manchester, NJ went to be with the Lord on Jan. 3, 2018. He was the son of Alexander and Suzanna Szabo of Garfield and the brother of Alex, John and Joseph Szabo, all deceased.

Rev. Szabo leaves behind his wife of 63 years Eleanor and his two sons Stephen and David and his wife Angie along with many loving family members and friends.

He received his B.A. degree from Bloomfield College; his Bachelor of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary and his Master’s in Systematic Theology from Mt. Airy Seminary in Germantown, PA. He was ordained into the Christian Ministry at the Hungarian Reformed Church in Passaic, NJ in 1953.

During his ministry, he served as pastor of St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church in Somerset, PA (1952); David’s E&R Church, Killinger, PA and Zion’s Church, Rife, PA (1953-1958); also St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Garwood, NJ (1958-1985), where he oversaw the construction of a new church and educational building. He later took a position as Coordinator of Volunteer Services in the NJ Dept. of Corrections in Trenton from 1985-1991.

Rev. Szabo served on the Stewardship and International Missions Committee for the E&R Church; the Church & Ministry Committee of the NJ Association UCC; chaplain of the Garwood Fire Dept. and was instrumental in starting the ecumenical services among the churches in Garwood.

He was a member of Susquehanna Lodge 386 F&A Masons, Millersburg, PA; president of the Lions Club and on the Mayor’s Committee on Youth in Garwood, as well as treasurer of Volunteers in Courts and Corrections for the State of NJ.

He was a gentle, caring man with a beautiful smile and will forever be missed.

A memorial service will take place at a later date.

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