Brandon Janes
The Port Arthur News
PORT ARTHUR —
Cars parked around the block at the Pampered Pet in Nederland on Saturday for a chance to buy a link to support the family of Sean Steiner, the man whose body was found in a Port Arthur canal Monday.
Steiner, a father, left behind two daughters, ages five and three, and a widow pregnant with what will be their third child.
“It makes me very happy to see how loved he was but it makes me sad to see how many people will miss him and how many lives he touched,” said his widow, Sabrina Steiner. “It does help to know I am not alone in this.”
Many of the family and friends at the link sale remembered Sean’s famous cookouts at the Steiner home, where he was chef.
“Once again he is feeding everybody,” said Laurie Manning, one of Sean and Sabrina Steiner’s closest friends.
Manning helped organize the event, held outside of The Pampered Pet in Nederland, although altruism was not in short supply.
“Actually some of the people that have come back by have gone out to the store to buy ice, and other useful things for us,” said Manning. “People have been great.”
Judice’s French Market donated the links.
Although Steiner lived in Port Neches, many of the customers may have met him at The Pampered Pet pet salon in Nederland, which is owned by the family.
“Sean worked here, so a lot of people would have seen him. He greeted costumers and took care of the pets,” said Manning. “That’s what he did. He helped out his family.”
His initial dissapearance was not completely out of the ordinary for friends and family, as the man had a tendency to isolate himself from time to time, according to Manning.
A verteran of the German military, Steiner suffered from post tramatic stress disorder, according to Manning, and tried is best to keep it from affecting his family.
“Just like our American soldiers suffer he suffered,” said Manning. “And they don’t get the help they need.”
The night he disappeared he had gone on a long drive.
“His way of dealing with the pain was driving,” said Manning. “And he ran out of gas.”
According to police reports, Steiner was hit by a car traveling at high velocity at about 3 a.m. Thursday morning on Texas 73 walking back to his Port Neches home.
The next day was his five-year-old daughter’s birthday.
It wasn’t until four days later that Steiner was found floating in the canal, the day before his own birthday.
“He was more than just a body,” said Manning. “He was a man, and a father and a husband.”
A memorial fund has been established for the Steiners at Neches Federal Credit Union: The Steiner Family Fund - Acct. No. 45096.
bjanes@panews.com
