Stephen Francis Blackler Jr.

Stephen "Steve" Francis Blackler, 85, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and United States Air Force veteran, passed away on August 10, 2026.

Steve was born on February 16, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York, to Stephen and Elizabeth Blackler. The fourth of eight children, he grew up in Sheepshead Bay and remained a proud Brooklynite throughout his life.

The son of a tugboat captain, Steve spent his boyhood summers traveling with his father along the Hudson River and Intracoastal Waterway. He also developed a lifelong love of baseball. He cheered on his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field and was a catcher on his high school baseball team.

In the 1960s, Steve proudly served in the United States Air Force during the Cold War, with assignments in California and at a radar base in Turkey.

Following his military service, Steve began a long career with IBM, starting in New York City and working with mainframe computers. While working in the Hudson Valley, he came across a park filled with children playing and saw the kind of place where he wanted to raise his family. He and his beloved wife, Kathleen, eventually left New York City for Wappingers Falls, New York, where they raised their three children. They became members of the St. Mary's parish community.

Above all, Steve loved his family. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kathleen Woods Blackler. He is survived by his children, Stephen Blackler and his wife, Rebecca, of Maryville, Tennessee; Patti Ellis and her husband, Dean, of The Woodlands, Texas; and Mary Ellen Zumbrook and her husband, Matt, of Hopewell Junction, New York. He was an immensely proud grandfather to Connor and Olivia Ellis and Ella and Andrew Zumbrook.

In 2023, Steve moved to The Woodlands, Texas, where he spent his final years close to family.

Those who knew Steve will remember him not only for the life he lived, but for the person he was. He was gentle, humble, loving, and quite simply one of the nicest men you could ever meet. His kindness was effortless, his love for his family unwavering, and the pride he took in his children and grandchildren immeasurable.

Steve will be deeply missed and forever loved.

Calling hours will be held from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Friday, August 28 at the McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street, Fishkill, NY.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Steve's memory to a hospice organization in gratitude for the compassionate care provided to individuals and families at the end of life.

For online tributes, visit Stephen's memorial page at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.