Francis John McSteen

Francis John McSteen, 78, of Punxsutawney, passed away at home surrounded by his loving family on May 19, 2024.

He was born in Clairton, Pennsylvania a son of the late Anna (Klesa) McSteen and Francis Patrick McSteen.

He lived a short time in Gary, Indiana, and at the age of six moved with the family to Pittsburgh.  Educated at Sacred Heart grade school and Central Catholic High School graduating in 1963.

He worked at the Pittsburgh Hospital as an orderly and lab technician, while attending nursing school at St. Francis Hospital graduating in 1965. 

Drafted in the US Army in October 1965 he served until November 1967.

In September of 1966 he married the former Maria Olimpia Roselli and they lived in Germany together until his discharge from the Army.  They enjoyed fifty-eight years of marriage.  Maria survives and resides in Punxsutawney.

Following his discharge from the Army he returned to work at St. Francis for a short time until he hired by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery Chairman who told Frank “I’ll teach you to do research surgery:  He was stunned by what he heard but said, sure let’s do it.  He worked for Pitt for thirty-nine years retiring as Director of Surgical Research, his faculty appointment was Clinical Instructor of Surgery.  He worked with Dr. Thomas Starzl, the father of transplant surgery and developed the “Hepatic Bypass System” which forever changed liver transplant surgery.  Frank was also responsible for developing a program at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for children born with lung problems.  Frank traveled to Australia and Italy to give scientific presentations of his work.  He was also a basketball referee for ten years, officiating over one thousand high school and college basketball games.  Frank also serviced on the Pittsburgh Central Catholic football support staff for sixteen years. He also served as a Cub Scout Master for three years.

In addition, Frank was the Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus Council 4242 in Verona, Pennsylvania for two years and in the Punxsutawney Council 452 for three years.  He remained active in the Knights where he became the Treasure since 2016.  He was a Lector at St Gerad Majella parish in Penn Hills for twenty years, where he also served as the annual festival chairman for twenty-five years.  He and Maria were actively involved in Marriage Encounter for several years in the Pittsburgh Diocese giving “Pulpit Talks”.  He also served as the Chairman of the Republican Party in Penn Hills.  Upon Moving to Punxsutawney in 2007, he became a Lector and Eucharistic Minister at SSCD.  He became a lay Franciscan in 2019.  In 2014 he was elected into the Hall of Fame at Central Catholic High School an honor he truly treasured.  Both of Frank’s sons Michael and Sean graduated from Central Catholic, his grandsons,  Colin and Aidan graduated from Central Catholic.

Frank loved golf, hunting and fishing, woodworking and wood carving, gardening and wine making.  Frank was also involved in the Passion Play in Pittsburgh for sixteen years, he played Caiaphas the high priest, a role he jokingly would day, “I was NOT typed cast.”

In addition to his wife Maria, he is survived by two children,  Michael Francis McSteen and wife Colleen of Penn Hills, and Christina Maria Hass and husband Christopher of Plum; four grandchildren, Shannon, Colin and Aidan McSteen and Levi Xavier Hass.

He is preceded in death by his parents and one son, Sean McSteen.

Friends will be received from 2 -8 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at Shumaker Funeral Home, Inc., Punxsutawney.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Saints Cosmas and Damian Catholic Church, celebrated by Monsignor Joseph Riccardo and Father William Laska.

Interment will follow at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Monroeville.

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