Steve Marciw Of Southampton Dies March 3

Steve Marciw, formerly of Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, and Southampton, died on March 3, 2020, with his family at his side. He was 91.

Born in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, on May 25, 1928, to Michael and Stella Marciw, he was the youngest and last surviving sibling of four children. He was the son of Ukrainian immigrants and dreamed of a career in advertising, and attended the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia, where he earned a degree in advertising, fine arts and design.

In summer 1948, while waiting tables at Pocono Gardens Lodge (a honeymoon resort in the Pocono Mountains), he met the owner’s daughter, Phyl. They fell in love and were married on May 5, 1951. He managed Pocono Gardens until he was called to active duty in the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged in 1953. They remained on a honeymoon of their own for more than 63 years, until his wife died in 2014.

Mr. Marciw and his wife lived in the Poconos, raising their family of three daughters and running the resort until they sold in 1972 to Mount Airy Lodge. They then moved the family to Pocono Manor, where they enjoyed golf with the Pocono Manor Cottage League. He resurrected his artistic talent and started to dabble in china painting and tiles. He was an avid golfer with an 11 handicap with two holes-in-one to his credit. He was able to play many great courses including Pebble Beach, Sawgrass, Southward Ho, Southampton, Golf at the Bridge, Pinehurst, Winged Foot, Merion, and also competed in an LPGA Pro-Am with Nancy Lopez as his partner.

For his second career he used his experience in the hospitality industry and launched PSM, Planned Successful Meetings, that attracted such clients as Swiss Air, The New York Times and Victaulic. He traveled extensively across the United States and Europe. By chance, during a trip to Colorado he met his favorite author, Louis L’Amour, who took him to one of his favorite sites and discussed his writing techniques. They wound up having breakfast together every morning to discuss his books and their various characters. He still has every book Louis L’Amour ever wrote. In 1999 Mr. Marciw retired and decided to make yet another move.

In 2000 he and his wife moved to Southampton to be close to their grandchildren. Mr. Marciw started a third art career, creating hand-painted folk art Shaker boxes, house paintings and iconic East End scenes.

Survivors said he enjoyed every minute of life, with a smile on his face and a full calendar. While a recent transplant, he thought of Southampton as his home, having coffee at Catena’s with his good friends, Vic and Carl, going to cardiac rehab at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, chair yoga at Rogers Memorial Library, and attending concerts in Agawam Park and Easter sunrise service at Coopers Beach. He was a founding member of the Southampton Bocce League, a member of the Southampton Artists Association, a parishioner at the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and a 4th degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus. He was a voracious reader and loved the Rogers Memorial Library and held several art shows there. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, the UCONN women’s basketball team, and his all-time favorite, the Duke Blue Devils. He was a close friend of coach Mike Krzyzewski, having arranged for him and his wife, Mickey, to come to Pocono Gardens for their honeymoon as a favor to another friend, Bobby Knight, who was the coach at West Point. Mr. Marciw traveled to watch Duke play whenever he could, but his favorite game was with his son-in-law, Rich, traveling to Duke to sit on the bench with the team at Cameron Stadium. He was a true Cameron Crazie, survivors said.

He is survived by his three daughters, Marianne Marciw of New Jersey, Nancy Warren and husband Richard of Southampton and their children, Christopher and Sarah, and Elizabeth Griffin and husband Robert of Massachusetts and their children, Erin and Peter.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated on Monday, March 16, at 11 a.m. at the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Southampton.

Memorial donations may be made to the Rogers Memorial Library in support of its café project.