Stephen Eugene "Steve" Sesnick Jr.

Stephen Eugene Sesnick, Jr., entertainment and technology entrepreneur, dies at 81
Stephen (Steve) Eugene Sesnick, Jr. died on October 27, 2022, near his home in St. Augustine, Florida due to complications from a heart attack. He was 81.
He is survived by his wife Cynthia, his sons Stephen Sesnick, III (Amber), Nicholas Sesnick, and Christian Bass; grandchildren Alexander Sesnick and Vivian Sesnick; sisters Rosemary Dawson (Gary) and Marian Jones; nephew Erik Jones and niece April Alzamora. He was preceded in death by his parents Stephen Eugene Sesnick and Teresa Sesnick (born Canarozzi) and his brother John Sesnick.
To those close to him, Steve was known for his profoundly strong Catholic faith, his sense of humor, his amazing energy for life, and his dedication to his family. He was a larger-than-life personality who touched the lives of many in ways big and small and was dearly loved by his family and friends.
Steve Sesnick is most widely remembered for his involvement with The Velvet Underground, an influential American rock band that originated in New York City in the 1960's. As the band's manager from 1967–1971, Sesnick worked to bring the band broader commercial success, taking them from their role as part of Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable to an independent rock band that toured the country playing significant venues. During this period, Sesnick was also instrumental in establishing the Boston Tea Party as a premier rock concert venue located in Boston, MA.
Steve was born September 8, 1941, in Hoboken, NJ. Sports were an integral part of his life growing up. He lettered in basketball, baseball, and football at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, NJ, and he went on to play freshman basketball for St. John's University in New York City. Throughout his adult life he was an avid golfer and enthusiast.
In 1980, he met his future wife, Cindy, in Boston while she was a student at Simmons College. They married January 1, 1983, and together grew a family, living first in Boston, then in New Hampshire, and finally moving to northeast Florida in 1998.
Over the years, Sesnick's entrepreneurial endeavors were wide ranging and included a Boston sports photo gallery in collaboration with members of the Boston Celtics, an ice cream retail and wholesale business, representation of artist Mel Bolden, and several groundbreaking golf and technology concepts.
Sesnick made an impact in the golf industry with his conceptualization of the Skins Game, a popular annual golf event from 1983 to 2008 where four prominent golfers competed head-to-head in a match play format. The game brought broad attention to the sport during a time when interest was waning.
After leaving the music and golf industries, Sesnick worked in technology and sustainability, working with teams to invent a number of technologies, each with the goal of providing a better future. He was passionate about the work he did with his team at the University of Florida and Sestar Technologies inventing improvements to the solar cell and for several projects he had in flight to support sports, science, and diversity.
His funeral will be held Saturday, November 19 at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 545 A1A N, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, with a reception following.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Charities USA.