Steven H. Justman

Steven H. Justman, 74, of Wilmette, Illinois, passed away on December 13, 2024. Steve, the beloved son of the late Charles and Annabelle Justman, was a man of immense talent and resilience with a gift for savoring life’s most meaningful moments.

Born on the West Side of Chicago and raised in Morton Grove, Steve carried a deep love for nostalgia and tradition. A proud fourth-generation Cubs fan, Steve was a living baseball encyclopedia and enjoyed retelling baseball moments or recounting tales from his own life, often with trademark humor and sentimentality. Steve was a dedicated collector of antiques, with a particular fondness for Marx toy trains, gas station and Coca-Cola memorabilia, and pinball machines.

Steve began playing the guitar at 12, and music was central to his life. After retiring from a career as a product manager at Arrow Electronics, Steve was able to live the musician’s dream, turning his talents into a successful second career. As a historian of Americana and classic country music, Steve delighted audiences through song and storytelling in more than 2,200 solo and band performances in the last 17 years. Steve brought comfort and happiness to his audiences, performing for memory care residents, library patrons, and countless others.

Above all, Steve’s greatest love was his family. He is survived by his wife, Gayle Justman; his sons, Ben Justman (Jeannette Gabriel) and Louis Justman (Ashley); his stepson, Joe Rosenberg (Gera); his grandchildren, Emilia and Henry Rosenberg; his brother, Jeff Justman (Debbie); his nephew, Mike Justman; and his niece, Becky Justman.

Steve’s passion and gratitude for life will be deeply missed by all who knew him. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home, 111 Skokie Boulevard, Wilmette, Illinois. The funeral service will be streamed live. Interment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Steve’s memory to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation or the Gift of Music Foundation.