Marvin Steinberg

July 7, 1931 - December 28, 2023

Passed from this life on December 28, 2023. Husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend and teacher. Born in San Francisco to Morris and Myrtle Steinberg in 1931, Marvin is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Shirley; and devoted sons, Scott (Deanna) and Todd (Mihyun); and grandsons, Logan, Michael and Ryan. Predeceased by daughter, Suzanne; and by his sister, Rochelle Lazar; he is also survived by nephew, Darryl Lazar (Dawn); and grandniece, Ava. Grateful for Molly, doggie.

Marv loved a wide variety of music and was an avid fan of the Giants and 49ers, as well as his beloved University of Washington Huskies. He passed along his love of athletics, particularly baseball, to his sons and grandsons, making longs trips to see them play their respective sports. He was a devoted family man who took his kids on family vacations to Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Lake Tahoe, where he used to summer as a young man with his family.

Marv grew up in the vibrant Jewish community in the Richmond during the 1940s. Proud graduate of George Washington High School, where he served as Student Body President, and the University of Washington in Seattle in 1953. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and received his teaching credential from San Francisco State University and Administrative Credential and Masters in Elementary School Administration from San Jose State University.

Marv’s 40-year career in education began as a teacher in the Bay Area, mostly in Saratoga as a teacher and school administrator. He became Superintendent/Principal of Bella Vista School in 1980, and retired from that position in 1998. While at Saratoga Grammar School in the 1960s, he was one of the first administrators in the area to invite parents to volunteer in the classroom, began enrichment classes taught by community members and promoted intercultural awareness by planning exchanges with schools in Oakland and San Francisco. His tenure at Redwood Middle School was marked by a significant improvement in school-wide discipline, Saturday classes for underachievers, and student involvement in the Community Garden and as aides in elementary schools and senior centers.

At Bella Vista, he led in an upgrading of student expectations and introduced weekly enrichment classes taught by community members. Bella Vista received the Distinguished School Award and was also cited for its Drug Free Environment at a White House ceremony by President Bush. Marv received the first Lauren D. Phillips Award for Educational Excellence in 1989.

In 2006, he became an activist in the movement to end the genocide in Darfur, helping raise well over $100,000 for humanitarian relief. He was cited as an “upstander’ in the book “The Enough Moment” by John Predergast and Don Cheadle. One of his most treasured awards was the iACT Spirit Award, a twotime recipient. For the past two years, he helped found and continued to participate in activities of the Anti Racism Task Force at his church.

Marv’s greatest achievement in life will always be the daughter, sons and grandsons he lovingly raised, along with the countless lives he inspired throughout his years in education and community service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the roof fund for the First United Methodist Church of Redding or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. A celebration of Marv’s life will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Redding on Saturday, January 20 at 1:00 p.m.