Stephen Paul Meszaros, 75, passed away at his home in Phoenix on Nov. 6, 2020.
He was born Feb. 15, 1945, in Sidney and was the son of Stephen C. and Helen (Shubert) Meszaros. He graduated from Franklin Central School in 1963 and was awarded a BA degree from Syracuse University in 1967 and an MA degree from Arizona State University in 1973. He was an Air Force veteran and served in combat in Vietnam.
Steve met his future wife, Donna Schatschneider, when they were both attending Arizona State University in 1971. They were married in 1983 at Central United Methodist Church in Phoenix. They celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary on Oct. 22.
In his career Steve was a cartographer for the U.S. Department of the Interior and a visual information specialist for NASA. His special enjoyments were the drafting of maps and taking an active part in the exploration of the solar system with NASA. He created many illustrations for the planetary science community over the years. Steve also enjoyed amateur astronomy and over a period of more than 60 years accumulated an extensive library of space science books.
He was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife, Donna, and several cousins.
A portion of Steve’s ashes will be scattered in the country near Franklin. The epitaph on his monument in the Ouleout Valley Cemetery in Franklin sums up his philosophy of life: “My atoms were created in the stars. They have now been scattered to the winds and thus returned to the universe. I only had use of them for a little while.”
Donations may be made to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014, or to an animal charity.
To send the family an online condolence, visit www.bennettfh.com.
Local arrangements are by the Kenneth L. Bennett Funeral Home, Franklin.
