Stephen (Steve) E. Sohonyay, 84, passed away in his sleep at his Manor Twp. home on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Born in Győrasszonyfa, Hungary to the late Alexander and Helen Cseh Sohonyay, Steve immigrated to the United States in 1946 to live in a vibrant Hungarian immigrant community in New Brunswick, NJ where he quickly mastered English well enough to graduate from St. Peter's High School. Steve received an undergraduate degree from Mount Saint Mary's College in Emmitsburg, MD, where he also played varsity soccer, before earning a Master's Degree in Social Work from New York University. In between his studies, Steve served two years as a US Army Specialist at Fort Huachuca, AZ. Dedicating his professional life to the welfare of children, Steve worked for 32 years at the Lancaster County Children and Youth Agency, most of that time serving as executive director. During his tenure as director, Steve and the agency won many national awards for innovative programs and services, especially in the area of foster care. Steve also served as president of the Child Welfare Directors Association for many years. Even in retirement Steve continued to work part-time at the PA Department of Welfare as well as the Alumni Fitness Center at Franklin and Marshall College, where he enjoyed getting to know students and patrons alike.

Throughout his life, Steve pursued his profound love of nature, spending much of his free time gardening and tending to the yard at his home in Fairway Park where he and his wife of 48 years, Anna Marie (Re) Hussar Sohonyay, resided since 1971. His neighbors knew Steve well as someone always willing to lend a helping hand, a smiling face inquiring about their health and well-being while out on his daily walk around the neighborhood.

Steve had a deep religious faith that helped him survive a childhood of war and deprivation in Europe during World War II. He practiced his beliefs quietly as a member of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, where he could often be found at daily morning service and helping out at the annual festival or serving as a leader in Guys and Dolls and the Men's Club. Steve relished the simplest of life's pleasures: feeding birds, pruning shrubs, talking to friends, evening walks, the taste of good rye bread, saying the rosary, spending time with his family. He will be dearly missed by his friends and family.

In addition to his wife Re, Steve is survived by their two sons, Stephen R. Sohonyay, husband of Bridget, and their children Madeleine, Jack and Molly of Mount Joy, and Simon P. Sohonyay of Silver Spring, MD; his twin brother Alexander Sohonyay of Hungary and his sister Marianne Sachs of Severna Park, MD; and several nieces and nephews.

A viewing will be held from 10 to 11 AM, followed by a mass at 11 AM with The Rev. Lawrence W. Sherdel as Celebrant, on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, 2111 Millersville Pike, Lancaster, PA 17603. Interment will be in St. Joseph New Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the soccer program at Mount Saint Mary's University or to a charity of one's choice.