Obituary of Stephan Vuignier

Stephan Vuignier, 72, of Pittstown, beloved husband of Marilee Swota Vuignier, passed away at his residence after a long illness on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Steve was born on April 24, 1950 in Caracas, Venezuela.  He was the son of the late Maurice and Bessie Kean Vuignier.  At the age of five the family moved to Canvey Island, England. (Steve’s Mum was English and missed her native country of England and family).  At age eight, the family made its way to the USA sailing on The Queen Mary and settled in Albany for six years.  Age 14, back to England they went, this time sailing on the Queen Elizabeth where they lived in London for two years. Steve’s Mum used to talk about the wonderful service they received traveling by ship and had even dined with captains more than once. At age 17 they made their way back to the US and settled in Colonie.

At age 16, Steve spent a summer traveling the countryside of England and portions of Europe. While traveling, he stayed in hostels, often for a few days, to learn about the area he was visiting and the people who resided there. Steve welcomed these new experiences.

Steve worked for Marriott Corp. and then Sodexo for more than 25 years. He worked the majority of years at R.P.I. as a chef and production manager. He transferred to the Empire State Plaza, where he managed three cafeterias and all catering events.  In 1983, when he worked for DAKA Food Service, Steve was transferred to Bradenton, Florida where he was instrumental in developing the food service program for Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. As Steve always loved driving, he decided to take a break from the food industry and obtained a CDL license. Steve enjoyed a short time of driving over-the-road for Schneider Trucking. Although Steve really liked driving and visiting new places, he decided to return to food service as his over-the-road driving took him away from home more than he liked.

Steve was loved by his family, friends, and co-workers. All enjoyed his quick wit and dry sense of humor. He was an avid reader; liked to write (especially love notes to Marilee) and loved history. Most of all, Steve was a phenomenal, loving and devoted husband. He was a great supporter of Marilee’s wildlife rehabilitation work, helping with many tasks while never complaining. Steve and Marilee just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on May 29^th.

Steve is survived by his loving family: wife, Marilee, devoted father of Damien Vuignier of Hudson; brother of Ralph Vuignier of Niskayuna; Maurice Vuignier (Kathy) of Brooklyn and the late Keith and Vivienne Vuignier, sister-in-law Therese Swota, brothers-in-law Steve (Kathy) Swota and Ray Swota. Survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Relatives and friends are invited to the John J. Sanvidge Funeral Home, Inc., 565 Fourth Avenue (Corner of 115^th Street in Lansingburgh) Troy, NY 12182 for visitation on (Note change of date) Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A gathering to celebrate Steve’s life will be held at Forty One Sports Bar & Grille (41 112th Street, Troy, NY 12182) after the completion of the service. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Stephan Vuignier to North Country Wild Care, P.O. Box 63, Lake George, NY 12845. www.northcountrywildcare.org

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