Janine Steffan, longtime Times reporter and editor, dies at 63

No one knows how many errors Janine Dallas Steffan prevented The Seattle Times from publishing over the years. Suffice to say, it was many.

Mrs. Steffan, who died Sunday at 63 following a kidney infection, held a range of jobs on The Times' news staff from 1966 until her retirement last spring: clerk, reporter, music critic, TV writer and entertainment columnist.

But it was her work as a copy editor in the features department since 1981 for which Mrs. Steffan became known as a stickler for accuracy whose firsthand knowledge of Seattle and its history paid off on a daily basis.

"She had such a terrific institutional memory," said Greg Rasa, her last supervisor at The Times. "If it had happened in this city or at this newspaper, going back to her childhood, she knew about it and could correct it when we relative newcomers got it wrong."

When Mrs. Steffan pointed out errors, colleagues say, she did so in a manner that was helpful — never officious — a testament to the positive attitude she brought to the job and to life in general.

"She had a cheery, upbeat personality," said Ranny Green, who worked with her for more than 30 years. "For years, she and I would get in at 4:30 a.m., editing overnight reviews, checking the local wires. Even at that early hour I could count on seeing a smile on her face — something that's often missing in this business."

Mrs. Steffan inherited her interest in journalism from her father, the late Georg N. Meyers, longtime Seattle Times sports editor. Within two years of her graduation from Queen Anne High, she got a foot in the door as a "copy girl" — a newsroom helping hand — and soon worked her way up to reporting positions.

John Hartl, who would become the newspaper's longtime film critic, started at The Times within months of Mrs. Steffan and the two "instantly bonded," being two of the youngest staffers, dispatched to review whatever concerts were happening. "We read each other's stories and made suggestions. She always had good ideas."

A favorite story from Mrs. Steffan's days as a reviewer involved sharing fried chicken with Janis Joplin. As she told co-workers, she had arrived early for an open-air concert at Sick's Seattle Stadium, and sat down on the grass to eat the fried-chicken dinner she brought. Before long, the featured performer walked by, said the chicken looked pretty good, and soon they were sitting together, snacking.

Away from work, one of her greatest joys was "the peace and quiet going down to the ocean, which we did several times a year," said her husband, Rob Steffan. In late 2006, the Steffans, who live in SeaTac, purchased a house in Ocean Shores, where they'd intended to retire.

Mrs. Steffan was also, for a time, an amateur entertainer, singing in the 1990s with a group called Rolling Crones, which performed at churches and retirement centers, and later playing drums with a group called Crone Thunder.

In 1995, she was diagnosed with CMT, a hereditary neuropathy disease, which caused her to use a wheelchair, then a scooter and finally, just a walker — a progression her husband said "showed her strength of character, or just her plain stubbornness, at not letting the disease get the best of her."

Her survivors include a brother, Troy Meyers of Poulsbo, a stepson, Jason Steffan of Puyallup, and two grandchildren. An event to commemorate her life is being planned.

Remembrances in her name may be made to a favorite charity or to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 1002 E. Seneca St., Seattle, WA 98122.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com