Stephen A. Grossman

Stone Ridge - Stephen A. Grossman, 83, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and distinguished attorney, passed away on January 14, 2025 at New York University Hospital Langone Tisch Hospital in NYC. He was admired, respected and well liked by colleagues as well as adversaries and beloved by his friends, community, and most of all by his family. Stephen was married to Laura Anker in 1986, and together they raised three children: Joshua, Rebecca, and Shanna. He was a beloved father-in-law to Rob and Katie and grandfather to Mizel, Judah, Levi, Walter, and JoJo, who brought him immeasurable joy. Steve was a mensch, a good man in every way. His love was in his daily actions: from his multiple trips everyday to the grocery store to find the perfect melon for Laura, to the smiles he spread at the bagel shop and the bank, and willingness to use his understanding of the law to help anyone in need. As Peter Parcher, his close friend and longtime colleague recalled, "Steve Grossman was the real deal as a lawyer. He was a lawyer's lawyer. When we were public defenders we cared about justice, Steve never changed. It was a natural thing for him, it was who he was as a person." Born on May 7, 1941, to Charles and Rose Grossman. Stephen grew up in The Five Towns of Long Island with a keen sense of justice and a passion for public service, which would shape his career and life. After graduating from Colgate University in 1962 with a B.A. and earning his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1965, he began his lifelong commitment to law and advocacy. Stephen's career took him to Minnesota for many years, to China briefly, and then back home to NY. He moved to Sag Harbor and founded the law firm of Stephen A. Grossman & Associates, where he practiced until his retirement in 2019. After retirement in 2020, Stephen and Laura moved to Stone Ridge, NY in the Hudson Valley where Steve continued to use his decades of experience in law to help people in his new community with legal assistance. Stephen the lawyer cannot be separated from Stephen the character. Fondly thought of as the "Mayor of Sag Harbor" Stephen was everywhere on the East End and knew everyone. From the cooks and busboys at The Palm Restaurant to cashiers and the lunch crowd at Provisions Health Food, Stephen spread smiles. In his signature hat and bowtie, Stephen could not walk 10 feet down Main Street without delivering paperwork to a client, or stopping into a local shop to buy his wife a gift. Stephen was a bachelor well into his forties. He met Laura at a beach party at Mecox
Beach in Bridgehampton in 1984. Two short years later, Stephen was suddenly a husband to Laura, and stepfather to three children ranging from, just out of diapers to full-blown teenager. Stephen not only met this challenge but embraced his new family with joy and all of his love. Overnight, Stephen transformed himself from unencumbered bachelor to proud parent and husband. With Laura commuting two hours each way to Old Westbury nearly every day, Stephen embraced the daily rigors and joys of school drop-off and pickup, after school sports and extracurriculars, homework, detention, and dinner for five. With the birth of his first grandchild, Mizel, Stephen zealously assisted in Rebecca's Lamaze and child-rearing classes. He enthusiastically read the parenting books and educated himself in a myriad of childcare techniques and philosophies. At age 59, Stephen experienced childbirth for the first time as Rebecca demanded that only "The Rookies" - herself, Dade (Mizel's father) and Stephen - be allowed in the delivery room. Stephen was an avid lover of the beach, the opera, and the Hampton Classic. He loved Guys Night Out, smoking cigars, a good Old Fashioned, and his Dinner Club. He was the only person who could convince Laura to get on a plane, bringing her first to St. Martin, then Jamaica, New Orleans and more. As much as he loved Laura, he had no problem telling her that "his Red Sox" were mightier than her Mets. His love of sports was shared with Rebecca and Joshua and his grandchildren too.
Stephen never had trouble speaking truth to power and standing up for what he believed in even when it was to his personal detriment. He is remembered for his unwavering commitment to justice, his caring and generous nature, and his ability to make a lasting impact on everyone he met. In his community on the east end of Long Island, Stephen stood beside many clients who needed a helping hand, even when
others would not. He was a man who loved deeply, worked tirelessly, and left an indelible mark on the lives of his family, colleagues, and community.
His funeral service will be held 1 PM Sunday January 19 at the George J. Moylan Funeral Home Inc., 2053 Route 32, Rosendale. Interment will follow at Rosendale Plains Cemetery.