Steven B. Black, DDS

Steven B. Black, DDS, of Belmont, MA, passed away on Thursday, October 31, 2024. Cherished son of the late Irving and Gladys (Miller) Black, beloved husband of Paulette B. (Ponn) Black for 39 years, loving father of Melissa Black, dear brother of Eric Black and Lauren Baker, and uncle of Rosie and Daniel Black. He is also survived by many cousins, and friends.

Steve died unexpectedly from undetected heart disease, having lived his life fully and joyfully. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1948, his family moved to the Boston area when he was a young child and settled in Newton, MA, where his family became very active in the community. Steve graduated from Newton South High School in 1966.

In the early 1960’s, Steve’s parents started Eric Steven’s, a boys specialty clothing store in Newton, which became the bar mitzvah suit headquarters for the Boston area until the early 1980s. Steve, his brother Eric, Gladys, and Irving all worked in the store, and it was there that Steve developed his sense of style and love of fashion.

Steve graduated from the University of Rochester in 1970 and subsequently attended Temple University Dental School in Philadelphia. After returning to the Boston area, he worked as a dentist for 40 years, and retired in 2020.

Steve’s true passion was his joyful life with his loving wife Paulette and daughter Melissa, who was the sunshine of his life. They lived in Cambridge from 1986 to 2003 and later moved to Belmont. They joined the Beth El Temple Center community, where they found a wonderful community and have been active members for 30 years.

Steve was engaged in the Temple Brotherhood and made lifelong friends there. He completed 100 hours of study for the Me’ah program, and completed the Tzion program, which concluded with a study trip in Israel in 2016. Steve developed a deep love for Israel and was committed to support for Israel and fighting antisemitism.

Steve also loved learning about everything World War II. In 2023, Steve and Paulette spent Memorial Day on the Normandy Beaches, fulfilling one of his bucket list dreams.

His hobby of entering contests brought countless winnings over the years, which he loved sharing with friends and family. To name a few, he won two cars, including his beloved 1956 yellow Thunderbird convertible, trips to Cancun, Disney World, a Carnival cruise, college scholarships, and many more.

He was a skilled poker player and was part of a monthly game with friends. He loved beaches and pools, and was regularly seen diving at the Belmont Town Pool. He was a Reading Buddy through the JCRC Literacy Program and loved engaging with the kids at The Plympton School in Waltham.

We will always remember him driving his T-Bird around town and to car shows at The Larz Anderson Auto Museum, enjoying every second of summer trips with Melissa and friends to Ogunquit and Cape Cod, winter vacations to Florida, ending each day with ice cream, and simply enjoying every day of his life.

Melissa, Paulette, and his wide network of friends and family will always cherish his fun-loving spirit, great sense of humor, and his big heart. Steve was a treasure and will be greatly missed.

Services at the Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Avenue, Belmont on Monday, November 4 at 11:00am. Burial will follow at Sharon Memorial Park, Sharon.

Shiva will be private.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to The American Heart Association, www.heart.org, Beth El Temple Center, www.betheltemplecenter.org or CJP’s Israel Emergency Fund, https://ma.cjp.org/israel-emergency-fund