Stephen N. Junker

 

Junker, Stephen N. Beloved husband of Elaine Junker (nee Dwyer). Loving father of Steve (Stephanie) Junker, John Junker and Beth Hughes. Cherished grandfather of Hailey, Avery and Brooklyn Junker and Isabella and Madison Hughes. Dear brother of Judy (late Vince) Lasita, Mary (Tom) Malone, Kathy (Pat) Hennessy and Mike (late JoAnn) Junker. Proceeded in death by his parents, Norbert and Alberta (nee Gramza). Steve graduated from Holy Family in 1949, Elder High School in 1953 and Xavier University in 1957. Steve was a talented and successful athlete.  He started his football career at Elder High School as a Freshman.  He then went on to attend Xavier University on a football scholarship.  He was elected captain his Senior year. Steve was inducted into the Xavier University Athletic Hall of Fame and was awarded the Legion of Honor, Xavier’s highest award for athletes. He was selected to play in the college All-Star Game versus the NFL Champions, the East-West Shrine Game as well as the North vs South Senior Bowl.   Steve was selected in the 4th round of the NFL Draft (48th pick), where he enjoyed a spectacular rookie campaign with Detroit with multiple catches and three touchdowns in the 1957 Playoff and Championship Games.  He was considered for Rookie of the Year, losing to the great Jim Brown. He was also proud of winning the Army Base Championship while in the service for the Berlin Airlift Crisis in 1961.  He played in the NFL for 6 years before knee injuries ended his career.  He scouted in 1963 for the soon to be Atlanta Falcons franchise before ending his scouting career with the Dallas Cowboys.  He left scouting in 1967.  He met Elaine Dwyer and married his beautiful bride in 1968.  He started his longtime career in real estate ultimately owning and becoming the broker of Steve Junker Realtors.  During this time, Steve enjoyed and was known for being a great softball player for his prodigious home runs.  Steve and Elaine welcomed their first son Steve in 1968, followed by son John in 1971 and finally to finish off the family, Beth was born in 1976.  He loved coaching his son John’s football team at St. Antoninus grade school. He compiled a record of 23-12-3 and led the 8th grade team to the CYO Championship game in 1984.  He truly enjoyed coaching those teams.  He was a wonderfully kind and humble man with a terrific sense of humor. He fiercely loved his family and his Catholic faith was unwavering. He will forever be loved and cherished in our hearts and memories. Steve passed away on December 13, 2023 surrounded by his family at the age of 88. Visitation will take place on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 9:30 AM at St. Antoninus Church, 1500 Linneman Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45238 until Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Wounded Warrior Project.