Goldstein, L. Steven Steven, or as his family called him Poppa Steve, passed away Monday, July 15th at the age of 68. He is survived by his wife Mary; 3 children Will (Jessica), Andrea (Chad Myeroff) and Nick (Katie); met all 7 grandchildren Gus, Lucy, Steven, Rosie, Charlotte, Madison, and Jackson, and mother Ceil. A non-smoker, Steven was diagnosed with stage 4-lung cancer 10 years ago. He beat the odds for many bonus years and celebrated his 41st wedding anniversary with Mary in May.

Steven graduated from St. Louis Park High School. He quickly learned that athletics were not his strong suit and got involved in the student council and was Student Council President as a senior. He also found time to be the lead singer for The Inspirations, which had gigs at high school dances and fraternities. His summer job was at Temple Israel Camp Teko. He had a wide variety of jobs there and eventually became the youngest Camp Director. Many of his long time friendships started there. He went to the U of MN and was elected to the Student Senate and was an undergraduate advisor in the College of Liberal Arts. This was the beginning of a long love affair with the U.

After graduation he sat in the lobby of Carmichael Lynch Advertising until they hired him. One of his clients WCCO Radio and TV, asked Steven to join them as VP and General Manager of WCCO Radio. From there, Steven's prolific career brought him to Colfax Communication (a national network of radio stations), Board Chair at Internet Broadcast Systems, Venture Partner at Quatris Funds, and St. Paul Venture Capital. He ended his career back where it started, at the U as the President of the Foundation from 2008 to 2013.

Steven also had a deep sense of commitment to his community and served on a number of boards including The Blake School, United Way of Minneapolis, Walker Art Museum, and the Bush Foundation. He continued his involvement at the U through the years and was President of the Alumni Association and also served as a Trustee to the Foundation.

Steven started painting in college to make money and sold his paintings at the Uptown Art Fair. When he retired, he rediscovered his passion for painting. Over 400 pieces of his art now hang in friends' and families' homes.

More than anything Steven loved being with family and friends. He built a sense of community, friendship, love, and an abundance of great stories that will live forever in those that remember him.

In Lieu of flowers, donation to the L. Steven and Mary Goldstein Scholarship at the University of Minnesota are preferred. Steven loved the University and believed strongly in the value of a liberal arts education.

A Celebration of Life will be held August 4th at 12:00 at the Golden Valley Country Club, gathering beforehand at 11:00.

Published on July 21, 2019