Former Sun Sentinel columnist, editor and editorial writer Gary Stein died Wednesday after a battle with pneumonia, his wife said. He was 72.
Stein, originally from Chicago, retired from the paper in 2017 after 36 years.
“Gary was my go-to guy on the editorial board,” said Rosemary O’Hara, editor of the editorial board. “He was smart, funny, fast, hard-working and had something interesting to say about almost any issue — from the Dolphins, to the Middle East, to the death penalty, to the White House.
“Though sometimes a little crusty on the outside, he was as big-hearted as they come … Gary was so proud of the Sun Sentinel and the many people he mentored here, including me. I’m broken-hearted. He was such a good man. I never met a man more devoted to his family. I only wish he’d had a chance to really enjoy retirement.”
Stein’s wife of 30 years, Jackie, and their son Mark, 27, along with other relatives, were by Stein’s side when he died Wednesday afternoon at Coral Springs Medical Center.
“He loved everything about the newspaper business,” Jackie Stein said. “And he loved everything about the feel of a newspaper, he liked having that in his hand. Even now we still get a newspaper delivered to our house.”
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