Steven Epstein

Julie Spitalnick My brother Steven - 11 years old

Julie Spitalnick Brothers and Dad back in the day

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com Here we are in front of Esmeralda with thanks to Steve for this amazing night Sealed with a kiss for Ellen but also for my best, dearest and most wonderful friend...I am blessed

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com Stevie in his brown tuxedo meeting us at the door or the World Famous Broadway Arcade--closed to the public and only special guests for champagne toasts and, of course, pinball--lots and lots of pinball :-)

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com My beloved Steve--seeing these pictures puts a smile on my face at his joy and the wonderful life moments we shared...xxoo There are a series of photos that Ellen has somehow unearthed from a special evening November 14th, 1978. Steven allowed me for the first and only time to actually don a change apron around my waist as we celebrated a wedding with more pictures to be posted here.

Dale Sperling Barracora was designed by Steven and Roger and developed by Williams.

Dale Sperling Early 80’s???

Dale Sperling Emerald Isle, NC Early 80’s

Dale Sperling UCP telethon 1986 - first ever Broadway Arcade pinball tournament.

Dale Sperling The VHS says “dad on MTV”

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com This wasn't the first or last time we were ever on television together promoting the game we loved so well--pinball!. It was Bryant Gumbel, Steve and myself on the Today Show back in 1990.

Robyn Tepper Good times in Napa!!

Larry DeMar Finding this pic made me smile. This is Steve Epstein presenting Steve Kordek a Century Club Service award in 2006 (I think when the reins were passed from Steve to Steve). I remember we called it the Dinosaur Club in the years before we became the Dinosaurs :)

Julie Spitalnick Unbelievable brother! Mark and Steven BFF 💙💙

Julie Spitalnick Uncle Steve, You were always smiling and had the kindest heart. You will be missed greatly. Gone way too soon but never forgotten. 💔 Julie Dang

Leigh Walker My uncle has such an infectious smile and laugh; he was extremely easy to be around. It’s hard to select one memory to share, as he represented so many of the fun times in my life. He was Emerald Isle, Thanksgiving, a huge Bridgewater St. basketball fan, and a guy that was never afraid to tell you he loved you. I’m gonna miss him so much.

Dale Sperling Happy 40th Anniversary

Dale Sperling Proud grandpa to twins! Josh and Zach are born.

Dale Sperling Steven loved spending time with all of his grandkids.

Dale Sperling Dad was always love spending time with his grandchildren.

Larry DeMar When I started working for Williams, my parents thought it was crazy that I was going to work in the amusement machine industry. Mom and Dad met Steve and Roger at various industry events and they seemed to calm them with reassurance that this was a good path. For the last 40 years they would cross paths with Steve or Roger and always reconnect and recount those initial discussions. This is Steve with my Mom at Pinball Expo 2014.

Larry DeMar New Years Eve 2015. I was visiting NYC with my kids and we had a wonderful afternoon with Steve at Modern Pinball.

Ari Schuler Steve and Sondy tearing up the dance floor at our wedding... sporting his trademark smile.  While most people associated Cousin Steve with pinball first and foremost - I always associated him with happiness first... with pinball a close second.  A very, very close second!

Robyn Tepper Steve always took the time to get together, whenever he was in town. Family was always a priority. In San Francisco, pre-cruise. xoxo

Heath Walker I have so many wonderful memories of Uncle Steve. Many years at North Carolina beaches and shared Thanksgivings. Steven took me deep sea fishing for the first time. He and my dad taught us kids to play cards. Steven showed me how to deal from the bottom of the deck. We shared the enjoyment of rolling dice at the craps table and handicapping football. He had a great sense of humor and we shared so many laughs over the years. We are really going to miss him.

Dale Sperling

Brian Sperling Steve you are so loved and will be missed but never forgotten. Love you

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com This was an annual event for Steve and I at Pinball Expo--the evening blitz of pinball with Martin Wiest and Horiguchi Masaya (Harry)--this is from 2017

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com And here is Steve showing off his amazing pinball skills at Pinball Expo 2017....he still had that touch!!!

Rob Gallagher I have worked with Steve many times over the last 30 years at shows , competitions and an amusement company in New Jersey he’s such a great guy!

Dale Sperling Can you tell he was on the bowling team in his youth?

Basci Dinc The world lost a wonderful man today. I'm writing this with a heavy heart. Steve was an amazing human being. His smile was so genuine and warm that you felt as if you knew him a long time as soon as you met him. I loved talking with him and learning so much from him. He will be greatly missed. My deepest condolences to his family. R.I.P. This picture was taken at a tournament i ran at The Vault and he told me that he was proud of me for doing a great job with pinball in N.J. and told me to call him anytime i needed help or advice.

Heath Walker

Zach Sharpe The stories of Steve’s impact on my life are incalculable for so many reasons being part of the “Sharpe” family and that extends far beyond pinball. But fun story I wanted to share is one of the highlights for both Josh and I prior to our older brother Seth’s wedding. Don’t get me wrong, being part of a wedding was a special day and memory for us both, how could it not, but at the time being 13 and 15 years old respectively, the highlight of that entire weekend of events was no doubt getting a special VIP treatment and trip to the Broadway Arcade with just us and “Uncle Steve” as I’ve always loved to refer him by! Steve gave us an endless supply of quarters, a seemingly endless amount of a special order of NY style pizza and we were simply let loose to run wild and play everything in sight. While Josh and I were both born in NY, we never really got to appreciate and enjoy the Broadway Arcade for what it was worth at its pinnacle until that day, and it’s a memory that will forever be ingrained. My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Epstein family not only at this time, but forever. Steve truly connected our families together and I couldn't be more proud to have the best Uncle on the planet.

Francesco La Rocca For me all started when i was introduced to Steve at Pinball expo in Chicago in 2010 and i remember as well that not long before i went to see in NYC(Bronx) in June 2010 the preview of a movie documentary , Special When Lit and i started to understand who truly this person was and what pinball meant for him , sadness in his words when he had to close the Broadway Arcade . In the year to follow i was with him so many many times to help him run tournaments and you could see how much he loved pinball and what would truly make him happy were 2 things : His family and pinball ! On November 2 2013 my life changed and i started a new road with pinball : the opening of Modern Pinball NYC which will put so much happiness in Steve 's life , i could see him while working with him that he was so happy that he could be in the world he missed so much . I never worked with someone who had so much LOVE for what he was doing , he would put all for pinball , for us friends and worker at same time . I was honored to spend so much time with him and in so many places in the USA , collaborate with him , helping him , meeting his family , staying at his house and see in person the memories and the endless love for pinball . After Modern the collaboration never end and we discover so many more places and play together and all time i would see him he was always HAPPY to be in HIS world : PINBALL ! The Vault in NJ was last place he was visiting often to play with us and always thinking about what he could do for pinball . I am crying writing this but he will be with all of us forever and his legacy and his name will be always around 2 words : FAMILY and PINBALL . RIP my friend

Dale Sperling Everywhere dad went we had fun.

Heath Walker

rogsharpe@aol.com rogsharpe@aol.com I'm trying to find all that I would like to share and came across this from PAPA 1993 with Steven and our dear pinball friend Lou Reed presenting me with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Truly the lifetime achievement should, and will always, be shared with my beloved Stevie. I am still trying to dig to find a gift I was able to actually give to him--he was willing to 'sacrifice' a year for a GQ makeover I was able to put in motion back in the late '70s when I was at the magazine. Steve endured a year with a personal trainer, nutritionist and stylist and the results--featured in the pages of the magazine--were truly remarkable and sensational. I couldn't have asked for more. I am also wishing I had a picture of Steve in his brown tuxedo greeting Ellen and I at the "World Famous Broadway Arcade" for our wedding reception. But I will keep on going through files and piles...until then for my wonderful Steven--my love and hugs continue abated...

Josh Sharpe It’s easy for me to point to my dad meeting my mom as the most important relationship that formed in my lifetime. That relationship gave me life. Right behind that would be the importance of my dad and Steve meeting all those years ago. That relationship gave my life meaning. The bond they formed through their common love of pinball lead to the idea that it could be viewed as a legitimate form of competition. The impact that idea had on my life is immeasurable. I wake up every day thinking about what I can do to help spread that love of competitive pinball to as many people as I can reach. That passion is directly linked to how Steve approached his daily relationship with competitive pinball from the Broadway Arcade days, to the creation of PAPA, to the creation of IFPA. This continued into 2020 with Steve recently joining the Project Pinball Charity team. I can remember sitting with my dad and Steve at dinner back at Pinball Expo 2005. We talked about the potential re-launch of the IFPA (which ended up happening a few months after that dinner conversation). We talked about the idea of being able to grow this player base of 500 players to over 1000 players as one of our biggest goals, with the WPPR system being the catalyst to motivate that growth. As I sit here 14 years later, looking at the number of 78,870 ranked players in our system, it’s clear to me that the legacy of what my dad and Steve set out to do all those years ago will continue to live on for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers to Steve, Sondy, Dale, Erica and the rest of the Epstein family. The Sharpe family wouldn’t be what it is today without all of you.

Kevin McHugh To the most loving couple I know. You reassured me that joy comes from within and then ricochets around, kinda like a pinball, to be touched & shared by anyone who happens to be in its path! Steve's smile, love & laughter was infectious . He always found the best in people. More than a Pinball Wizard, a Wiz of life, for with you, life seemed even better than it was! His humanity overflowed through his kindness, especially to Sondy & his family, as well as all others around him. Sharing our trip to Mexico will go down in Kevin’s & my memory for always because of Steve’s goodness to his friends - us, Judy & Jim. You will be greatly missed by all the people you touched in such a special way. Never goodbye, my friend, just “See you later - Arrivederci!” Love Kevin & Deborah McHugh

Arianna Alexsandra Collins Good Journey to my dear Uncle Steve. I shall miss you! I always felt so well loved and supported by you and my sweet Aunt Sondy! I think of you and remember your merry eyes and easy smile. May you be at peace. I love you so much! To all of us grieving this loss of life, may we hold one another gently and lovingly and remember all the joys of being part of Uncle Steve's life. 💗💗💗 I was looking through my photos of my Uncle Steve and I think this one captures his smile and the love between my aunt and uncle very well. Such a beautiful couple; inside and out!

sofia santana My grandpa, has always supported me in everything I do, from softball to school to even piano. My grandpa has such a big heart and loves all his family and friends. His dancing skills are immaculate as well as his ability to make jelly roll ups. Every memory we have made is so special (such as all of our sushi dates)!!

Rick & Jeannine Stewart

Dale Sperling Steven and his good friend, John Hammond.

Dale Sperling Silver Ball Cafe promo video!!!

Dale Sperling Steven and his good friend, John Hammond.

David Mercer Good times on a whale watching road trip up and down Baja in February of 2017 with Jim and Judy and friends, yes we saw several whales, but it was the overall experience with the group that made it special. Steve was a great guy to hang with, and he and Sondy had a great time, as did I. Best wishes go out to Sondy and family. Dave

Jeff Teolis This was the last time I saw Steve, on his birthday in 2019 in Florida. He came to an event I organized to raise money for Project Pinball. Just another of many examples of Steve giving back to the hobby he loved so much. It's easy to see how his passion created a world of pinball competitions, but more importantly those competitions changed lives, and connected people all across the world. You will always be in our memories, Steve. This is an hour-long history of Steve I was most proud to record. https://www.pinballprofile.com/episode-230-steve-epstein/ You will be missed, but never forgotten.

Orin Day We had a great time at Pinball Expo 2019, seeing Steve each year was a highlight, it is hard to imagine it was his last. I will miss our time together there greatly but have many fond memories.

Julie Spitalnick Bubby with her sons at Dale and Brian’s wedding

sofia santana my grandpa was an absolute boss at solitaire and has taught me everything i know!!💓

silvia santana having lots of fun！😊

Jeff Teolis

Jeff Teolis THANK YOU Steve Epstein. Many people helped me share the praises of Steve on the latest episode (#264) of Pinball Profile. https://www.pinballprofile.com/episode-264-thank-you-steve-epstein/

Barry Schuler I have been without words since Steve passed last Saturday. Savaged by grief for this sudden loss for the family. So I decided to focus on the positive; the imprint that Steve left on us. An ever positive person, smiling and happy. A dedicated family man who found joy in his beautiful children and grandchildren. And the Don Quixote of Pinball who dedicated himself to developing his passion into a respectable form of recreation and sport. So I turned to art and created this memorial. For his passion.

Zach Sharpe Uncle Steve always there to help celebrate some incredible milestones in my life.

sofia santana my grandfather was many things, but one thing that stuck out to me and a characteristic i strive to portray is that everywhere he went he displayed kindness and always had a smile on his face!

sofia santana he sought the good in every situation, and was a light in every room he entered. i miss him so much words can’t describe💓

sofia santana he introduced me to so many things and showed me the world. (he even got me to like sushi)

sofia santana he had the most pure and the kindest soul.

sofia santana his smile was contagious, and always lit up any room he walked into! he love my sisters, cousins, and i so so much💓