ALBANY – Steven J. Dombrowski, 70, of Albany, passed away suddenly on Thursday, November 11, 2021 while vacationing in Aruba. Steve was born in Passaic, NJ, the son of the late Walter John Dombrowski and Jean Hildenbrandt Dombrowski. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, and attended Rutgers University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He was then employed by RPI for 42 years until the present as a support engineer. Steve had been a member of the Voorheesville Kiwanis Club, served as a Boy Scout leader, and for many years as club advisor to the RPI Amateur Radio Club.
Steve is survived by his beloved wife Sharen Dascher-Dombrowski; his son Todd F. Dombrowski, M.D. and his wife Thais M. Dombrowski of Keene, NH; his daughter Ashlee Jane Wood and her husband John J. Wood of Clifton Park; his grandchildren Mason J. and Megan J. Dombrowski, and Katelyn and Madison Wood; his sister Sandra Kuzmich and her husband Tom Kuzmich of Asheville, NC; and his niece Chrissy Kuzmich. He was predeceased by his in laws Fred L. Dascher, Jr. and Jane Seim Dascher.
Funeral services will be held in the Hans Funeral Home, 1088 Western Ave., Albany, Monday morning at 11:00 a.m., and from there to St. Matthew and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1500 Western Ave., Albany at 12:00 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited, and may call at the funeral home Sunday from 12:00-3:00 p.m. Interment will be in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands. The family suggests memorial contributions to St. Peter’s ALS Regional Center, St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, 310 South Manning Blvd, Albany, NY 12208. To leave a message of condolence for the family or obtain directions to the funeral home, please visit www.HansFuneralHome.com.
Click here to view Steve’s resting place in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, NY 12204.
This is a video tribute to Steve:
Virginia Gallo
Dear Sharen and family. sending heartfelt condolences to all. Steve is home now. His sudden loss is so heartbreaking. Love. and prayers to each of you
George BAlogh
My thoughts of Steve always bring a smile to face, I always looked forward to seeing him and his excitement for what he was doing!
Egan
Uncle Steve aka Valentine will be greatly missed. ❤️He was one of the most caring and kind souls I have ever encountered. He always put others above himself. I will really miss our talks together .
Joyce Vaughn
My thoughts and prayers are with your family. Stay strong, you have a wonderful family, reach out to one another.
Melanie and Shane
Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.
John Wen
We are extremely saddened by Steve’s passing. Steve has been a wonderful colleague and has been dedicated to providing students with the best lab learning environment. We have a tribute page in Steve’s memory https://ecse.rpi.edu/news/ecse-mourns-passing-long-time-ecse-staff-steve-dombrowski.
Martin & Judith Snyder
Sharen and Family All, As you honor Steve, your husband, kindred spirit, Father and Grandfather, take heart, in the memories, in the laughter, in the tears and hugs. Take heart in the celebration of a life well lived a man much -loved. With sincere sympathy and love to you all. Marty & Judi Snyder
Agung Julius
My condolences to Steve’s family.
I worked with Steve at RPI. He was always friendly and ready to help. He was literally the first person who welcome me when I joined RPI in December 2008 after I got my office key from the department secretary. Then, he told me that there was a holiday reception (of which I did not know) and took me there. That image stuck with me. He was always kind and caring. When you had a conversation with him, he’d genuinely ask how you are doing. When you needed his help, he was always there. I miss him for the good person and the good colleague he was.
Julie Wolf
Dear Todd,
I am so sad to get the news of your father’s passing. He sounds like a wonderful person. He must be because he raised a loving and caring son who shares these traits with everyone you encounter. Thank you for being part of our family and community. Take good care of you and your family.
Luigi Vanfretti
I offer my most sincere apologies for Steve’s unexpected parting to all his family and friends.
I had the pleasure of working with Steve at RPI, where he supported my teaching in a course I started from scratch and many other research projects.
He was so kind to me and such a great person to work with. He was such an encyclopedia of knowledge and a craftsman like no other I’ve met. A true master of his craft, he would build electronics that would stand the torture of our undergrads, which is no trivial matter.
I will miss him so much, it was so nice to have coffee with him and learn about all the different things he setup for teaching. He taught me so much on how to develop my own labs, and he took care of maintenance and distributing the hardware to the students, even keeping track of the returns. He was not just supporting my teaching, but he was teaching me how to do everything with a smile and kindness.
Rest in peace dear Steve, you will be always remembered.
Bob Bownes
My most sincere condolences to all of Steve family. May his memory be a blessing and a comfort to you.
I worked for Steve in the ECSE lab in the summer of 1982 where he was a great help in teaching me many new things and correcting some already ingrained bad habits. I was fortunate enough to also get to know him again in the last 10 years or so as a member of W2SZ, where he was the faculty advisor. His loss will be felt deeply by both those groups.
Randolph Franklin
Steve helped thousands of students to become engineers at RPI. Also, he was such a nice guy.
Rose Viggiani
Dear Ashley and family-
I am so sorry for your loss. Please accept my deepest condolences. You are all in my prayers.
Bill & Gail Callahan
Sharen and family,
We are deeply saddened to hear of Steve’s passing. Everyone liked Steve, a long time “summer” neighbor. Please take care.
Melissa
Dear Sharen and family,
I am so deeply sorry to hear of Steve’s passing.
Keeping you in good thoughts.
-Melissa (Dr. Zeltner’s)