By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Robbinsville Superintendent of Schools Steven J. Mayer was remembered Friday as a devoted husband and father whose Christian faith guided his life right up to the moment he was killed on an early morning run earlier this week.
Family and other mourners gathered at Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro, the church he attended, for a memorial service three days after a 17-year-old motorist struck and killed Mr. Mayer out jogging on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road, on Tuesday, at 6:12 a.m. He was 52.
His wife, Donna, flanked by her three sons, reflected on her husband. Her grief was palpable in speaking of losing the “absolute love of my life” that morning.
“He loved me, I loved him from the depths of who I am,” she said.
“But the God we serve, and the God that Steve serves and the God that we will continue to serve knows our days. He knows that Steve was gonna go on Tuesday,” she said to the audience inside the church and those watching at three satellite locations, including Robbinsville High School, via video streaming. “And I believe that he is alive and well in heaven.”
Mr. Mayer’s Christian faith was a dominant theme of the memorial; a video tribute included him delivering a sermon speaking of a “changed life through Christ.” In his eulogy, associate pastor Josh Dean said Mr. Mayer cared deeply about people, a man who fought, prayed and worked for justice, “especially for the poor and the oppressed.”
Mr. Mayer was involved in the church as a member of its board and went on service trips to help youth in Brazil.
“He was always watching out for the underdog, always looking for ways to bring hope and help to those in need around him,” Mr. Dean said. “Whether it was working in schools and walking the halls and talking to children or while serving in the mountains of Brazil, Steve modeled for you and for me what it meant to act justly.”
In her remarks, Ms. Mayer said her husband’s legacy would carry on in their three sons, Ryan, Shaun and Kyle. She described the character traits they shared with their dad, with each son reflecting on what Mr. Mayer meant as a father.
“He was a fan of family, he was fan of having fun, he was a fan of my mom. He supported her in everything that she did,” said Ryan Mayer. “But the most important thing that my dad was a fan of, he was a fan of Jesus Christ.”
Kyle Mayer remembered how, before leaving for school, his father would tell him to “make someone’s day today.”
“That was the man he was, to take the extra five seconds to say make someone’s day today, because that goes an extra mile,” he said.
Mr. Mayer was a career educator, having worked in various school districts, including West Windsor-Plainsboro, where he was a principal and later an assistant superintendent. Ms. Mayer, saying she had a message for them from Mr. Mayer, urged his past and current students to know God and to use their education and God-given gifts to “make the world a better place.”
Mr. Mayer had gone jogging when a motorist, a 17-year-old female Robbinsville High School student, hit him with her car. She has not been identified publicly, as the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and Robbinsville Police are investigating. No charges have been filed so far.
His death stunned the community; public schools were closed Tuesday and Wednesday. His memorial was expected to attract so many people, that there were three satellite sites set up for people to watch. No media were allowed inside the church or the three other locations out of respect for the family, the church said.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr. Dean offered words of hope by saying “tragedy is not the whole of our story.”
“It’s not even the whole of Steve’s story, because his story will live on in the lives of, literally, thousands of young people,” he said. “Tragedy is not even the end of the story for the young woman who feels most responsible for Steven’s death. There is hope, there is forgiveness, there is mercy for all.”
