Port Townsend native Alex Steinberg died Aug. 11, 2022, in Redondo Beach, California.
Alex was born in Port Townsend Dec. 8, 1933, the youngest of five children of Olive and Irving Steinberg. The family — Bert, Bud, Florence, Raymond, and Alex — lived on a Discovery Road farm with their mother, Olive, uncle Alvin Gauthier and grandmother, Mary Gauthier.
In their younger years all the Steinberg children attended Port Townsend public schools and Sunday School at the First Baptist Church on Lawrence Street. The family moved to a house on Calhoun Street in 1945. Upon the return from World War II of Alex’s dad Irving, in 1946 the family moved to the Glendale area of California.
After the move to California, the family members remained interested in happenings in Port Townsend and returned often to visit. Both of Alex’s Gauthier grandparents are buried in Redmen Cemetery in Port Townsend, and both his father Irving and grandfather Henry were once barbers in Port Townsend. During his summers while in college, Alex worked at the Port Townsend paper mill where his brother Bert was a manager. In later life, Alex maintained a subscription to the Port Townsend Leader to continue the PT connection and bought a timeshare at Kala Point.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from UCLA, Alex earned his law degree from USC. He spent a brief time in the U.S. Navy following the Korean War. In 1964, Alex married Barbara Haverstic. As an attorney he practiced estate planning law in a Southern California law firm and later established his own law firm in Manhattan Beach.
Alex is survived by his wife of 58 years, Barbara; their three children, Lee Anne (Jeff Lee) Steinberg, Lori (Rod) Stevens, and Andrew (Connie) Steinberg; their five grandchildren, Julia, Sam, Maya, Alexa, Claire; and his brother Raymond and sister Florence.
Alex’s life-long affection for Port Townsend supports the view that indeed, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.”
Memorials can be sent to the YMCA where Alex was active in fundraising for the organization.
