The WABC-TV Eyewitness Seven news team---and indeed, much of the television community in New York---was stunned by the death of Flower Hill resident Glenn Steinfast, who died suddenly of heart attack on Aug. 22, 2002. He was 45.

Mr. Steinfast was a longtime employee of WABC-TV, where he did production and writing work on a variety of projects. A native of Baldwin, Mr. Steinfast had moved to Flower Hill several years ago, where he lived with his wife and two sons. During his years at Eyewitness News, his production work won two New York area Emmy awards, one for a documentary on The Beatles, the other for a 1999 documentary, Eyewitness to the Century, in which a wide cross-section of New Yorkers remembered certain historic events of the 20th century.

The latter documentary, which was also written by Mr. Steinfast, featured reminiscences by such figures as Barbara Walters and former New York City Mayor Abe Beame. It included the thoughts of a Long Island man who was at Roosevelt Field when Charles Lindbergh began his famous one-man flight across the Atlantic. Eyewitness to the Century was honored with the Outstanding Historical/Cultural Emmy at ceremonies held in April 2000 at the Plaza Hotel.

In all, Mr. Steinfast worked at WABC-TV for 14 years, mostly as a producer for Joel Siegel, but also serving in nearly any capacity that he was needed in.

Mr. Steinfast's death was met with shock by his Eyewitness News colleagues, but also with several moving, on-air tributes. One eulogy was delivered by longtime Eyewitness News anchor Bill Beutel, the other by current anchor Bill Ritter.

"He was far more than just a premier entertainment producer, more than a walking fountain of endless entertainment trivia," Mr. Beutel said of Mr. Steinfast. "He was a dedicated worker, a compassionate soul, and a loving husband, father, and friend.

"Glenn was a man who was as comfortable in the presence of celebrity and greatness as he was with his coworkers and friends," Mr. Beutel continued. "Every year, while trying to downplay attending the Oscars, his five rolls of film from the red carpet would show his true spirit ... Glenn possessed a wonderfully boyish quality that was always with him ... But his range was a reflection of his true depth as a journalist and a person.

"As an award winning producer of numerous specials at Eyewitness News, Glenn possessed the unique gift of getting to the core of our coverage, and refract back to us the essence of what truly mattered: the human heart."

While performing his anchor duties on the Friday, Aug. 23 broadcast, Bill Ritter admitted the difficulty in saying goodbye to a colleague who not only was a great producer, but also a husband and father.

As with Mr. Beutel, Mr. Ritter remembered Glenn Steinfast's amazing versatility in delivering needed information and videos for any number of news stories. He especially recalled doing a story about Charlton Heston's announcement that he had symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. In no time at all, Mr. Steinfast came "bounding" to Mr. Ritter's desk, "arms loaded with tapes of Charlton Heston's films and the story of his life."

Most of Mr. Ritter's on-air eulogy praised Mr. Steinfast as a devoted family man. "He didn't just adore his two sons, Corey and Jordan," Mr. Ritter said, "they were all he lived for."

Mr. Steinfast is survived by his wife, Susan, his two sons, and his parents.