Bergen Pizzeria Owner Dies, Thousands Donated To His Family

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Tens of thousands of dollars has been donated to help the family of a local pizzeria owner who died suddenly this weekend.

Steven Renke, the owner of Demarest Pizzaeria, died suddenly this weekend, NorthJersey.com reported. A GoFundMe page went live Sunday night with a goal of $40,000 for his wife and three children. Nearly 300 people met the goal in just 14 hours.

"Steve was a great husband and father, and a great friend to all who knew him," Joe Argenziano said on the campaign's website. "Throughout the years, the Renke family has always been extremely active in our community, generously volunteering their time and resources for the various causes that have benefited all of our children."

Renke found success early in life with Demarest Pizzeria.

Renke bought Demarest Pizzeria his senior year of at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan in 1987, the pizzeria's website states. He delivered pizzas in his pickup truck and bought out his two partners.

Four years after the buyout, Demarest Pizzeria was featured in the March 1993 issue of national publication Pizza Today.

A candlelight vigil was held in Renke's memory in Demarest Sunday.

A Demarest Pizzeria customer expressed her grief on Facebook.

"Steve was such an amazing part of the neighborhood. At the very least, I waved hello to him each day," Laurin Mayer said. "Often times, I’d pop in just to hang out with him. We’d laugh and exchange funny stories about the drama in the area."

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Steven Renke (Courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch)