Stephen Joseph Navoyosky

SALEM — Stephen Joseph Navoyosky left this world on May 8, 2026.

He was a music composer-arranger-orchestrator-conductor-educator-publisher and a first-call session musician on his instruments.

He arrived in Salem on April 25, 1935, and developed an interest in music as a child via radio. At the age of four, he began accordion lessons. From the age of eleven, he performed extensively and professionally by entertaining in area movie theaters, restaurants, taverns, radio and TV, private parties, working passenger trains between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and the name hotels in Cleveland with many genre musical groups.

After graduation from Salem High School in 1953, he then traveled with numerous name bands and orchestras across the country. He entertained in known theaters, hotels, ballrooms, and resorts. He also participated in radio broadcasts and recording sessions. During that time period, Steve continued to study music composition with some of the best known teachers throughout the country from Chicago to Los Angeles, among them being Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Martin Paich, Lyle Murphy, Orlando Vitello, etc. in addition to studies at Chicago Conservatory, Berklee College, and Dana School of Music. His work became interrupted when he was drafted by the U.S.Army, trained as a combat engineer, and sent to Korea. He worked USO camp shows while in the Orient and was ordered to be the music arranger for the 7th Division Band over there and the 158th Army Band at Fort Knox, Kentucky when he returned to the States.

Throughout his performing career, Steve continued to work within this quad-state territory, arranging all the music for the Myers Lake Park Ballroom bands for seven years. He worked in the pit orchestra for the famous Kenley Theater of Broadway Musical Productions and their U.S.A. tours elsewhere, as well. Steve performed as a featured soloist with many well-known territory orchestras including The W.D. Packard Band, the very active W.D. Packard Jazz Quintet and their Jazz Orchestra and Dixieland Band as a member of those organizations. He also worked in many large swing/jazz bands and with many private and traveling professional groups like Mantovani and Strings, Woody Herman Orchestra, George Melachrino and Strings, etc. He arranged music for Boat Cruise vocalists, Atlantic City acts, and for the Miss Teenage America pageants, Miss Ohio pageants, and the Miss America pageant as well as many high school/university choirs, stage bands, field marching and concert bands, and Drum-Bugle Corps, as well as arrangements for his own Alma Mater, Salem High School. The harmonically arranged Alma Mater was requested for the SHS Robed Choir in 1963 by the school and he also included a concerted score to enable the SHS Concert and Marching Bands to join in whenever the need was required. There were other out-of-state events he provided music for them. Locally, Steve wrote, directed, and conducted the Kiwanis Kaper Family Shows. He was a board member of the New Music Society at Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.

His musical arrangements are found in many lists throughout the USA, the Orient, and France. He formed, conducted, and performed with The Studio Orchestra consisting of 17 pieces plus a vocalist/vocalise.

Steve sadly left behind his utmost best friend and wife of 48 years, Wanda L. (Phillis) Navoyosky; his brother, David E. (Karen) Navoyosky; and Toy Poodle, Rex and his American Bombay Cat, Roxie. He acknowledged that his cousin, Michael J. (Carol) Birchak, PE, CPE, as being his very close best friends.

Steve was preceded in death by his father, Stephen Edward Navoyosky (1962); and mother, Mary Ann (Birchak) Navoyosky (2002).

There will be no calling hours. A sanctuary gathering is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Salem to honor his long career and love for music.

Steve requested that contributions in his honor be made to the Salem Quaker City Concert Band, Attn: Joy Cable, 930 Homewood Avenue, Salem, Ohio 44460.

Please visit www.starkmemorial.com to share memories and condolences.

5/12/26