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Memorial service set for OC institution Bill Steiner

Bill Steiner was meticulous about how he would exit — from pre-ordaining who would write his obituary (me), to having vital paperwork stashed in his pockets, to envisioning precisely what kind of public service he wanted. And yes, he wanted a big public service!

Those details are now settled: The celebration of Steiner’s life will be Friday, Jan. 13 (can’t help but think he’d chuckle at that) at 10 a.m. at Orange’s Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1855 N. Orange Olive Rd.

Expect it to be jammed. I’ve heard from people all over the country who plan to fly in to pay their respects to the child welfare advocate, founder of Orangewood Children’s Home and former county supervisor. Steiner, 85,  died on Dec. 15 on his way to celebrate in New York.

“What Bill did to help our youth is without equal!” said Buck Johns, a GOP mover-and-shaker.

Steiner also specified that, in lieu of flowers, he wished to have donations made to the Orange County Community Foundation or the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

“I can’t think of anyone who will be more sorely missed, by so many,” said Shelley M. Hoss, president and CEO of the Orange County Community Foundation, by email.

“I am in no small part a product of Bill’s grace, generosity, mentoring and friendship. Bill gave me my first job in the nonprofit sector at the age of 22 when I was a grad student at UC Irvine’s (then) Graduate School of Management (now Merage School of Business), to join the three-person staff of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation. He paid me $5 out of petty cash in the summer of 1986 to develop new marketing materials (a brochure and slide show in one of those portable carousels, if you can remember that far back!) for the newly formed Orangewood Children’s Foundation, just following the dedication of the Orangewood Children’s Home in the fall of 1985. I was there when Gov. (George) Deukmejian flew in on a helicopter and landed on the Orangewood grounds for the ceremony—quite dramatic!

“I was immediately ‘hooked’ on Orangewood’s mission, and spent the next 10 years there before becoming executive director at Girls Inc. (with Bill’s encouragement and support) in 1996. When I was asked to interview for the CEO role of the Orange County Community Foundation in the fall of 1999, Bill was my first call … and it was he who gave me the courage to take the leap that led to the best 23 years of my professional life at OCCF.”

Like so many of us, Hoss recently lunched with Steiner at Zov’s — angel hair pasta, as always, with half boxed up to take home.


Source: Orange County Register

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