CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Stephen W. Iannotti

Coach I was that teacher who could unlock any kid’s potential; from the late 70’s he taught Math and U.S. History at Kingsway and was selected as the “Teacher of the Year” in 1999.  He believed in his students, and they knew it. He saw their innate goodness. Of course, first and foremost, he maintained order in the school, in and out of his classroom. As a Kingsway High coach, the story was much the same. Though he often said that he couldn’t teach size, he knew with smarts and speed you could work your way past just about any obstacle. He had lived it himself; at 5 ‘3, number 61 was a formidable guard and linebacker playing Freshman, JV and Varsity football at Pitman High. They called him Runt. He had a lifelong love affair with athletics: organized baseball from his early days (2nd base and pitcher), high school basketball, golf dating back to his days as a caddy at Pitman Golf Club, softball in his later years and a whole lot of running. He had two “holes in one” and still shot in the 80s with his buddies at Pitman every week. He was a member of 1972 Group I State Championship Runner-Up team known as “The Dirty Dozen”. This team was elected to the Pitman High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Steve continued playing at Gloucester County College and graduated with a B.A. in Education from West Chester University. He coached championship baseball and football teams at KRHS and was a coach of the State Championship football team. Between running and walking, he had logged 63,000 miles. He was a regular at the Dragon Run and the July 4 Freedom Run in Pitman. If he wasn’t competing he was watching; a fan of the Redskins and the Mets and always rooting for the underdog. Might have just been that he loved to agitate Philly fans. He skipped music, preferring the sounds of W.I.P. and whatever game caught his fancy. Growing up, vacations always had a sports tie in: Fenway Park, pro football summer camps, etc. Following retirement he worked with the children at Beckett Christian School (Living Hope Daycare.) The kids adored Mr. Steve. Quiet times found him reading, mostly history and biographies; he had an obsession with U.S. history and the Civil War. He had a soft spot for all animals; a lifelong dog lover (he recently nursed his dog, Lexi back to health) and was known to pull his car over to give a turtle a hand crossing the highway. He was raised in Pitman and lived in Logan Township.

Predeceased by his parents, James and Alberta Iannotti, Steve is survived by his daughter, Lucy and her stepsiblings: John Anthony and Julie, his sister, Wendy Iannotti Whipple (Bruce), his nieces, Jamie (Kane) and Molly (Allen) and his aunt and godmother, Marjorie Lewis (William), several cousins, countless friends and his beloved pup, Lexi.

Come celebrate 72 great years Thursday, January 15, 5-7 p.m. at Kingsway Regional High School, Eitel Theater, where there will be a 7 p.m. service.

Additionally, all are welcome to view Coach I’s Storytime service Wednesday January 14, 6 p.m. on Zoom. Meeting I.D. is 617 091 8655.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these charities in memory of Steve:

Kingsway Educational Foundation
https://www.krsd.org/our-community/kingsway-education-foundation-kef/round-up-for-kef
Please designate in Steve’s memory for the Barchuk Heart of a Dragon Scholarship Fund, KRHS, 201 Kings Highway, Swedesboro, NJ  08085.

Friends of the Gloucester County Library System, (please designate for Logan Twp Branch Library), 389 Wolfert Station Rd., Mullica Hill, NJ  08062.

Gloucester Co. Animal Shelter https://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/211/Donate-to-Us
1200 N. Delsea Dr., Bldg. C, Clayton, NJ  08312.