Steven Halberstadt
June 18, 1941 - April 28, 2022

Steven Halberstadt of Ocala, Florida died at home on April 28, 2022 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Janet Halberstadt, her daughter Reeda Lingenfelter and grandson Jeremy Cessna, and Steven's son Jim Wengrenovich provided support and care, and were with Steven as he transitioned from this world. He is survived by two brothers, Jerry and David Halberstadt; his wife, Janet Halberstadt and her children Reeda and Chuck Lingenfelter; and his children Sheila Levy, Susan Nosadak, Sheri Kosmas, and Jim Wengrenovich, as well as numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Steven was a gentle and sweet man who spent over 40 years helping others and bringing many to believe as he did about Jesus. Steven was predeceased by the mother of three of his children, Margaret McCree, as well as his parents Ernst and Luba Halberstadt, and a brother, Jon. He was a husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle and most importantly a friend to so many whom he loved, and who loved him in return -- too many to list here, but they know who they are. For each of them he will always be fondly remembered. His faith took him the distance, and he looked forward to an eternal life.

As a teenager in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Steven won the New England Foil Fencing Championship and competed in sports through high school and beyond. He was an exceptional small boat sailor, loved being on the water, fishing, photographing and painting waterscapes. He was also an excellent cook, known for his seafood dishes -- and it was said by all who knew him that he never met a lobster or Essex fried clam he did not love. He attended Rindge Tech where he learned the many skills which served him and others so very well throughout his life. After graduating from Rindge he joined the Navy where his love of motorcycles and high speed resulted in a rain swept crash that destroyed his knee. Hence his early departure from the Navy, where he had enjoyed world wide cruises that led to his lifelong love of travel.

Steven had early success as a photographer, first in his father's Boston studio, and then his Uncle Hal's studio in San Francisco. Later he had his own commercial photo studios in San Francisco and on Cape Cod. His sense of art and design culminated in his sign making business, Weatherwood Signs, where he created beautiful signs that have lasted over 50 years. Steven was a lifelong learner, and as technology evolved, Steven shifted to computer generated and laser cutting his artful designs at his last company, Destiny Signs. Digital photography allowed him to bring his images to life on his computer not in a darkroom. Always a man of contradictions, even as he honed his skills as a digital artist, he returned in the last few years to traditional watercolors once again. He had a bright sense of humor and quick wit, and was known for his shaggy dog stories.

As a youth, Steven and his friends would clamber up the external fire escapes of the old Boston Garden and sneak in to watch his beloved Celtics. His love of the Boston Celtics continued through his last days, and he expected they would win it all this year with him cheering them on. We think he may have been on to something big. To our beloved Steven, always a believer in a world full of skeptics: goodbye, God Bless you, and Go Celts.

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