Stevens Palmer Pendleton

Stevens Palmer Pendleton, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on May 13, 2025, at the age of 88.

Born in Montclair, NJ on July 19, 1936, to Frank “Pete” Pendleton and Margaret “Peg” (Doan) Pendleton. Steve attended Montclair Academy and graduated from Phillips Andover School in 1954. He attended Princeton University and Colorado State University in Fort Collins. As a student he spent summers in Nevada working as a ranch hand, eventually graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Husbandry.

It was at Colorado State that he met his wife of 66 years, Charlotte Wiesner Pendleton, whom he married in 1958. Upon graduation, Steve was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, originally stationed at Quantico, VA. Steve attended flight training in Pensacola, Florida, where he earned his wings as a Marine pilot in 1960.  His military service saw him fly the A4 Skyhawk. His active duty concluded in 1963, whereupon he enlisted in the Marine Corp Forces Reserve and served until 1965.

Beginning his private sector professional career with the Albers Brothers Milling Company in Portland, Oregon, Steve and Charlotte and their young family moved to Red Bluff in northern California. After several moves around the Golden State, in 1969 Steve joined VAC-U-MAX, a family-owned business based in Belleville, New Jersey that had been started by his father. As the company’s Western Regional Manager, Steve brought his family to Valencia, California for the next eight years. Upon ascending to the Presidency and becoming owner of VAC-U-MAX in 1975, Steve moved the Pendleton family east to Ramsey, New Jersey, where he would remain entrenched as an active community participant until his passing.

An avid sailor, Steve was Commodore of the Hudson Cove Yacht Club in Haverstraw, New York, where he and Charlotte spent countless hours plying the waters of the lower Hudson River, Long Island Sound and Atlantic Ocean all the way to Nantucket and up the coast of Maine. He was a Deacon at the First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey. As a child, Steve had built many memories at the Edgemere Club on Silver Lake in Dingman’s Ferry, PA. As club members in the late 1970’s and 80’s, the Pendleton’s shared many good times at Edgemere with friends and family.

Steve had rekindled his love of flying as a glider pilot in Pearblossom, California. His love of the outdoors was evident on many family camping trips, where he taught his children the art of catching and cleaning lake trout as well as “policing the area for debris”.  An avid cyclist and kayaker, Steve embarked upon many recreational excursions and competitions on the roads and rivers of the Northeast United States and Colorado. Other hobbies included woodworking and carpentry projects, photography and hours spent devouring the engineering and technical manuals that made both him and his company successful.

Steve was predeceased by his wife, Charlotte Pendleton, his parents Frank and Margaret Pendleton, his sister Barbara “Babs” (Pendleton) Donnell, and his brother, Brian Pendleton.

He is survived by his daughters Anna Pendleton, Katrine Pendleton Thompson (Woodman), Lora Pendleton (Patrick Burke), son Doan Pendleton (Randi), eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM at the First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey, 15 Shuart Lane, Ramsey, NJ.  

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider the options of a donation to the American Cancer Society, planting a tree, or flying the American flag in Steve’s honor. 

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