Stephen Blickstein

Stephen Blickstein Stephen Blickstein, 81, of Ormond Beach, FL, passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Grand Oaks Health & Rehab in Palm Coast, FL. Steve is survived by the love of his life, Jennie, his wife of 41 years, cousins; Sandy Zuckerman of Bethesda, MD. and Michael and Priscilla Wiener of Alexandria, VA. The only child of Florence and Henry Blickstein, Steve was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1931. He attended public schools in Brooklyn until the family moved to Garfield, NJ in 1941. Steve graduated from New York University in 1953 with a degree in Journalism. Upon graduation, he spent two years in the US Army, stationed in California then Washington State. After active duty, Steve returned to New Jersey, working in local journalism and industrial advertising. He later moved to New York City, where he built a career in business journalism, moving on to public affairs positions with RCA and Exxon (now ExxonMobil). In 1980, he became a free-lance public affairs consultant with Phillip-Morris. As a writer and published author, Steve was never without a pen in hand. He covered sports marketing and wrote first-hand accounts of network TV sports coverage of NFL football. As a voracious reader, it was not unusual for Steve to read three books at a time. A former resident of Wilton, CT, in 1994 Steve and Jennie moved to Palmyra, VA, where they became volunteers with the Carysbrook Performing Arts Center. As an avid jazz enthusiast, Steve took on additional responsibilities as a weekly radio host of “Principally Piano” on WTJU-FM, the music station for the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville. Former “snowbirds”, Steve and Jennie settled in Ormond Beach, FL, in 2007. Here, Steve directed his passion for jazz as an active member of the Northeast Florida Jazz Association (NEFJA), providing coverage of the musicians and events hosted by the NEFJA. Those who knew Steve will remember him for his humor, wit, intelligence and passion for life. A consummate “people person”, Steve conversed easily with everyone he met and took pleasure in including them in his “circle of friends”. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. A private gathering, reflecting on Steve’s life, will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Steve’s memory to one of his two favorite charities, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl SW Washington, DC 20024 or Doctors Without Borders 333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10001-5004. All arrangements are under the direction of Heritage Funeral & Cremation Service, Port Orange, FL.

Tributes

Stephen Blickstein

May 14, 2013