Dorothy H. Bercaw Steiner

Dorothy H. Bercaw Steiner, 93, passed away on February 6, 2020 at Park Village in Dover after a period of declining health. Born March 24, 1926 in Strasburg, she was the youngest of six daughters to the late Otto and Rosa (Hoffman) Heid.

Dorothy’s life was marked by her independent spirit and defining passions. As a child, she was enamored with pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart, sparking an unrealized dream of being a pilot herself. Her lifelong love of cars and motorcycles began as she could often be found helping her father fixing the family car as a child. As a teen she put that experience to good use through a hobby of buying and fixing up cars to sell. Her strong spirit also propelled her to break convention and become one of Ohio’s first female mail carriers in 1966. The central passion in Dorothy’s life was music. In the 1950s through the 1970s, she was involved with several local bands, was an organist at area churches, as well as performing regularly in a radio show on WJER. Dorothy and her first husband, Ray Bercaw, also owned and operated Bercaw’s House of Music for many years. In particular, Dorothy always had a fondness for the large theater style organs and music.

In March of 1976, Dorothy married Ed F. Steiner. Ed’s family had owned and operated Steiner Cheese of Baltic since 1833. Together they enjoyed traveling, wintering in Florida, and golfing. Later, they were able to install a full size 1929 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ and its extensive piping and instrumentation in their Baltic home. For many years Dorothy loved entertaining guests through many free organ concerts. She was active in both the American Theatre Organ Society and Western Reserve Theater Organ Society.

Dorothy was also preceded in death by her sisters Alta, Mary, Florence, Martha, and Gladys as well as her husband Ed, grandson Shaun Bales, and nieces and nephews. She will be greatly missed by her daughter, Lynda Bales; son, Doug (Pam) Bercaw; granddaughter, Chanda (Ronnie) Miller; grandson, Corey (Jaclyn) Bercaw; granddaughter, Jennifer (Michael) Hunt, and fourteen great-grandchildren.

The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff of Park Village Dover for the wonderful care for Dorothy.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, February 12 at 2:00 pm in the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home and Crematory at Strasburg with Pastor Craig Warner officiating. The family will be greeting friends at the funeral home from 1-2 pm on Wednesday. Following the service, a funeral luncheon will be held in the funeral home’s reception center. Those wishing to express their fondest memories of Dorothy may do so by visiting the online obituaries link on the funeral home’s website.