“Elder Robert R. Steuer Of the Seventy,” Ensign, May 2001, 108
Elder Robert R. Steuer
Of the Seventy
Elder Robert R. Steuer (pronounced Stoy-er) remembers how members were “so kind and considerate” when he joined the Church at age nine. Through the examples of neighborhood friends, he began attending Primary and was introduced to the gospel. At an early age, he learned firsthand the importance of friendshipping and being kind toward others.
He recalls when a home teaching companion, a man in his 80s, later showed him the importance of helping others. “His idea of home teaching,” says Elder Steuer, “was to go out and paint the widow’s porch and house.” At age 14, Robert once again learned by example the need to have “true love and concern for the other person.”
Born on 6 December 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Hulda Hanel and Fritz Steuer, young Robert spent his youth in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Las Vegas, Nevada. He moved to the Midwest to attend college at the University of Minnesota and there received his bachelor’s and medical degrees. Following schooling, he practiced medicine and pursued medical research, eventually becoming a diagnostic physician. He was the founder and chairman of Hemametrics, a medical diagnostics firm.
Because of his experiences in the medical profession, Elder Steuer says that “the Spirit gives inspiration not only in ecclesiastical matters but also in secular matters.” He says it has been exciting to see the Lord’s hand in medical research.
Elder Steuer and his wife, Margaret Black, from Ogden, Utah, were married on 21 June 1971 in the Logan Utah Temple. They reside in Pleasant View, Utah, and have five children and five grandchildren. His wife and family “have been such a strength to me,” he says.
His Church callings have included bishop, stake mission president, and mission president of the Brazil São Paulo North Mission.
Elder Steuer says life experiences have taught him that there are many moments in our lives when “quiet inspiration comes.” As a new member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, he encourages members to “find those quiet moments in our homes to reflect on the needs of each family member.”