Name: Celebration of Life for Daniel Morris Steffenson
Start: 2018-10-27T16:30:00.000Z
End: 2018-10-27T19:00:00.000Z
Location: Kensington Hotel

Steffenson, Daniel Morris 6/15/1940 - 5/16/2018 Ann Arbor Died May 16, 2018 just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan after a long illness. Born in 1940 in Moline, IL, to John Morris and Esther (nee Conrad) Steffenson, Dan grew up in the Quad Cities and attended Cornell College. He received his PhD in physical chemistry from Harvard University. Dan's doctoral advisor was George Kistiakowsky, a renowned scientist who served on the Manhattan project and campaigned much of his adult life against war and nuclear proliferation. While studying in Cambridge, he met his wife, Carol Elizabeth Spielman. They were married December 14th, 1965 at Harvard Epworth Church. After graduation, they relocated to Albion, Michigan, where Dan joined the faculty at Albion College. During a 41-year career at Albion, Dan devoted himself to undergraduate education until his retirement in 2008. A man of broad interests with a strong commitment to Liberal Arts education, he not only taught core courses in Chemistry, but also explored Great Issues in the Sciences which engaged with the philosophy of science and the evolution of scientific paradigms. Dan was a music lover with a passion for singing and provided the foundation to a number of choruses throughout his life. As a youth he was an exceptional basketball player and was named to the Iowa all-state high school basketball team. A devoted father, Dan shepherded his children through endless music lessons and provided tireless sideline encouragement at track meets and basketball games. He was also an animal lover, who was rarely without a cat or two on his lap. Dan is survived by his daughter, Kristina Steffenson McElheran and her husband, Andrew McElheran of Toronto, Ontario; his daughter, Annie Steffenson and husband, Dirk Kinley, of San Carlos, CA; and his son, John Steffenson and his wife, Melissa Day, of Ann Arbor. He is also survived by his five grandchildren, Colin and Emily McElheran, and Benjamin, Lila, and Cooper Kinley. Dan was preceded in death by his wife, Carol Steffenson, in August, 2017. A celebration of life ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 27th at the Kensington Hotel, 3500 State St, Ann Arbor, MI from 12:30-3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Daniel M. Steffenson Chemistry Scholarship would be appreciated by the family. Contact Albion College, 611 E. Porter St., Albion, Michigan 49224 for details.

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Published by Ann Arbor News from Sep. 20 to Sep. 26, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for Daniel Steffenson

Sponsored by The Family.

4 Entries

November 15, 2018

We are greatly saddened to hear of the deaths of Dan and Carol. They were our next-door neighbors in married student housing while Carol was attending medical school at the U of M in Ann Arbor, and Dan was commuting daily to teach at Albion College. They were a terrific family, devoted to each other & to their children, and dedicated to their careers and community. We loved Kristina and Annie, and remember well when John was born. Our children played together & they came to visit us when we moved to Tallahassee after graduate school. Our love and condolences to Kristina, Annie and John, and their families. Much love, Joe and Karen Torgesen, Tallahassee FL

October 1, 2018

I was a student of Dr. Steffenson for P-Chem in 1970.All chemistry majors where required to take a full year of physical chemistry at Albion College.I think it was the most challenging course I had ever taken at Albion.Dr.Steffenson was always Good-naturedly available to give us struggling students the extra help needed for his course! One of our class members onced asked him why his class was so difficult?He said that he had structured it after the one at Harvard and he thought we at Albion College were all up to that same level of performance.
Senior Chemistry majors would take an annual trip to the Argon National laboratories to use some of their equipment for an experiment.
Dr Steffenson would take us over to the Berghoff restaurant in downtown Chicago while on that trip and give us a chance to experience the BEST strawberry shortcake in the country!!
Years later I took my son Andy over to Albion for a college visit. We are walking through the chemistry building and Dr. Steffensen comes up to me greets me by name and asked me whether I still have a chemistry paper around that I hadn't handed in for a grade years earlier.
My son was so surprised and impressed that Albion became his first school of choice for the following year!!
He also became a chemistry major and a music major while at Albion.
He had Dr. Steffenson for an interductory chemistry class.that first year.

Ken Dill 1972

September 26, 2018

While I did not personally know your father, my sincere condolences to his family. Reading about the loss of your mother has saddened me...I worked with her at Forest View Hospital in Grand Rapids and it was a pleasure to know and work with such a great person and doctor. My thoughts and prayers are with the family at this very difficult time.

Tish Watson

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