Remembrances grow for longtime Verona teacher with tree dedication

Rather than shoo away children playing on his lawn, Verona’s George Stiefbold welcomed them.

A tree in front of Stiefbold’s home, located only a few houses from Forest Avenue Elementary School, became a popular spot for kids to climb and play over the years. The tree became synonymous with Stiefbold, who passed away at the age of 88 in September 2016, so the Forest Avenue community planted a related way to remember him.

School officials dedicated a small Japanese maple tree outside of the building along with a plaque bearing Stiefbold’s name. The longtime resident taught and coached soccer in the district for many years before his lawn became a popular destination for students.

“Our whole entire family is so gratefully honored with the gesture that the school has done,” Jeff Stiefbold, George’s son, said. “I don’t think my sisters or [my brother] Scott or I knew about the tree until a few years ago when noticed grass was getting chewed up there. My dad wouldn’t have it any other way. He absolutely loved children in his yard, talking to him, keeping him young and playing in that tree.”

George Stiefbold - also known as "Steppy" - taught physical education, as well as driver's education, at Verona High School. As a teacher, he was fair but firm, according to Jeff Stiefbold, the high school’s current varsity girls volleyball coach.

He was inducted into the Verona High School Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a coach and a teacher, and also served as a past president of the Verona Education Association.

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The outgoing fourth-grade class at Forest Elementary decided to dedicate their yearbook to George Stiefbold, according to Principal Jeffrey Monacelli. The yearbook includes a photo of Stiefbold. 

“It’s something they’ll remember for years to come,” noted Monacelli.

The plaque outside the school includes a Shel Silverstein quote dedicated to the longtime teacher. 

“Come climb up my trunk and swing from my branches, and play in my shade and be happy,” the quote reads. 

The tree outside Stiefbold’s home now has notes of gratitude hanging from it, left there by the people who had gathered under its branches and in its shade.

Jeff Stiefbold remembered finding the remembrances outside on a night with rain in the forecast, so his family rushed to have them laminated to protect the notes. 

“We’ve never taken them down and I don’t think we will,” Jeff Stiefbold said, “because it’s so beautiful. That really helped things for our family.”

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com