Steven LoBaido is a hero to all animals.
“He is the type of person that if he sees a dog on the side of the road, he has to take it home,” said his wife, Stephanie LoBaido. “We have to find the owner; we have to take it to the vet. We have to feed it.
“He’s brought home everything, from dogs to an eagle with a broken wing. He brought home a chicken. He’s saved little baby deer off the Staten Island Expressway. He’s done it all. He’s always saving an animal.”
“I hate ants, but I still won’t step on them,” Steven LoBaido said.
But LoBaido’s altruism is not limited to animals. He has been a passionate advocate of saving parks and historic homes on Staten Island.
Frank Favale, left, Steven Lobaido and former Councilman Jerome X. O’Donovan outside the entrance to Chapin Pond in 2007. A 75-foot long curb was installed by the city to define the border of the pond area.staten island advance
He championed the preservation of two Dongan Hills parcels of land that became known as Chapin Pond Park and Chapin Woods Park.
Most recently, he was instrumental in the raising of $2 million to restore the Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, the oldest house on Staten Island and one of the oldest houses in New York City, constructed in 1663.
A magical Staten Island childhood
LoBaido, 56, grew up in Dongan Hills and had a childhood he classifies as magical.
“I felt like I lived in the Wizard of Oz,” he said.
As a child, LoBaido spent a lot of time in nature.
“I was constantly climbing trees. I drank water out of the creeks and ice skated on ponds in the winter,” he said. “I never wanted to grow up. I always wanted to be outside.”
Steven LoBaido and Stephanie LoBaidofamily archive
His mother, Karen, was a real estate broker and his father, Salvatore, was a sanitation worker and a builder.
LoBaido had two older brothers, Scott and Sal, who often got him into trouble.
“I got hurt a lot. I got a lot of stitches,” LoBaido said.
He attended PS 48, I.S. 49, and New Dorp High School. He loved art class and painting backdrops for school plays. He excelled in drawing and dreamed of one day becoming an architect.
Steven spotted this American bald eagle perched in a tree in Chapin Woods. Bands are visible on the bird’s talons. (Photo by Steven LoBaido)Third-Party-Submitted
As teenager, he had a delivery route for the Staten Island Advance. He did landscaping work and sold shirts at the mall.
LoBaido graduated in 1985 and was married a few years later to his wife, who he met through mutual friends. The couple lived in New Dorp Beach for several years, before building their Victorian-style home in his childhood neighborhood of Dongan Hills.
From left, Steven LoBaido, Dr. Mohamed Khalid, and Assembly member Joe Borelli at a 2014 fundraiser for the Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House on Richmond Road in Dongan Hills. (Staten Island Advance/Virginia N. Sherry) Staff-Shot
He worked at Con Edison for 10 years, reading meters before becoming a lineman, climbing poles to fix transformers.
Then he became a bus operator for New York City Transit.
“For him to be confined to a bus wasn’t easy,” Stephanie LoBaido said.
LoBaido also worked as a contractor; he taught himself how to do carpentry.
“He would do decks, kitchens, bathrooms, any kind of home renovation that anyone needed,” Stephanie said. “He worked really hard to provide for me and his kids.”
Steven LoBaido and Stephanie LoBaidofamily archive‘An unsung hero’
In 1996, a developer decided to build 16 homes on land in Dongan Hills. LoBaido fought against it. The process took eight years. “It was a scary time because we didn’t know who we were dealing with,” Stephanie said. “He went door to door, talking to all the neighbors and getting them to sign a petition.”
Steven Lobaido speaks at the rally on Annfield Court on June 17,2023, where he maintained a house under construction was damaging the environment. (Steve White for the Staten Island Advance)
“He took over that realm of protecting our childhood playground, which was the woods,” said his brother, Scott LoBaido. “He is an unsung hero and his efforts will live forever.”
Politicians became involved in the fight and in the end, LoBaido succeeded in preserving the land.
In the days after 9/11, LoBaido drove his bus through the financial district, exposing himself to toxins in the air.
Stephanie Lobaido holds granddaughter Meadow as Steven Lobaido is honored for all his work and dedication to restoring the Billou-Stillwell Perine House. (Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)Staten Island Advance
“There was no ventilation in the bus, no masks, no respirators,” Stephanie LoBaido said. “They didn’t even have anything to clean the windows. He used to take his water bottle and open the side window to clean it from all the dust so he could actually see where he was driving the bus. That’s how bad the dust was.”
Staten Island’s oldest house
In 2013, LoBaido helped raise funds to repair the roof of the Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, the oldest home in Staten Island. It was the first step in long effort to restore the structure. He was involved every step of the way.
LoBaido first saw the house on a field trip in the third grade. Decades later, he devoted himself to its restoration. He took it upon himself to rebuild the picket fence in front of the house.
“He was just desperate to save it,” said his friend and neighbor, Alice Diamond. “He itched at people; he nagged them until they listened and did whatever it was that he wanted to happen.”
“He made sure that the people who needed to be reminded that this wasn’t done yet were reminded regularly,” said Jessica Phillips, CEO of Historic Richmond Town. “While I found his nudging annoying at time, I value it, because I do believe that without that, we wouldn’t be in this funding position we are in now.”
Steven LoBaido and Stephanie LoBaidofamily archive
“He just truly understands and values the historical significance, the stories that the house can tell, and the value it is to our community,” Phillips said. “And he doesn’t want anybody to forget it. He’s got a lot of energy, and he’s laser focused. It’s incredible. Every community needs someone like him to advocate for them.”
“He kept on pushing,” said Brian Laline, executive editor of the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com. “He was relentless about it. I kept on telling him, this can’t happen overnight. He just would not stop until he got what he thought the house and Staten Island deserved. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Thank God he was pushy because it would never have gotten done without him,” Scott LoBaido said.
‘A beautiful life’
In 2019, LoBaido and his wife relocated from Staten Island to Brick Township, New Jersey. “It reminds me of the Staten Island where I grew up. Staten Island changed a lot. That’s why we left.”
Steven LoBaidofamily archive
Recently, LoBaido was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Tests have revealed that the Alzheimer’s disease was not genetic. He and his family believe that the illness is a direct result of the months LoBaido spent driving his bus surrounded by the debris left by 9/11. Studies have shown that 9/11 first responders are at a significantly higher risk of early-onset Alzheimers.
“People are dying. People are suffering. People are sick because of 9/11,” LoBaido said. “It’s very upsetting. I hope my story will help people and encourage them to find out more information.”
Steven Lobaido shows photos of the erosion caused by a vacant structure affecting the Chapin Woods Park and pond on Annfield Court on June 17,2023. Dr. Mohammad Khalid stands with him. (Steve White for the Staten Island Advance)
“Obviously, I’m very angry about what’s happened to him,” Stephanie LoBaido said. “We’re living with it on a daily basis. I don’t know what the future is going to be. We take it day by day.”
In his free time, LoBaido likes to do yard work. He gardens and collects antiques. He loves spending time with his two children and seven grandchildren. “We’re so proud of them. We have a great family. I would say Steven has accomplished so much in his life,” Stephanie said.
“I had a great life. I had a beautiful life,” Steven said.
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