Stephen Norman Ostrov

Stephen Norman Ostrov was born on September 22, 1959 to Linda Plotkin in Manhattan, New York City. Growing up in Queens, Steve worked for his father Sheldon Ostrov’s pastry company and as a concessions vendor at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium. After high school, Steve traveled nearly 5,000 miles to attend college at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.

Soon after, he moved to South Florida to start his own bakery business with his father and grandfather. In Florida he met the love of his life, Mara Pizzutelli. Steve and Mara were married on Valentine’s Day 1981. That September they welcomed their daughter, Renee, and in 1989 their son, Michael. To support his young family, Steve took a job as a car salesman that began a 40-year career in the automotive industry. Steve worked tirelessly to provide for his family, and with Mara running the household, they steadily built a loving and fortunate life. The Ostrov house was host to large gatherings of family and friends nearly every weekend of Steve and Mara’s marriage, with Steve using his Sundays off to ride bikes or play sports with the kids all morning and grill all afternoon.

Steve and Mara loved to travel and they exceeded the wildest dreams of their humble beginnings by enjoying the wonders of Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, and countless other domestic and international destinations – often sharing the experience with their children and grandchildren. At work, Steve became a renowned general manager and consistently ensured his dealerships were the most successful in their region. His dedication to his family extended to his coworkers, as well, and Steve’s leadership was characterized by mentorship, diligence, integrity, and grace.

Steve died at home on the morning of December 1, 2022. At the time of his passing, Steve had been a general manager with the Craig Zinn Automotive Group for many years, most recently with Toyota of Hollywood. He had been married to Mara for over 41 years. He was planning their next awe-inspiring vacation. He was planning to visit his newest granddaughter.

All who knew Steve knew his generosity. Food, hospitality, advice, a second chance – he gave what he was gifted without hesitation. He was everyone’s favorite uncle. He was the silliest Pop Pop to his granddaughters. He was a beloved and dependable patriarch. He was as good to life as life was to him. He will be missed as long as his generosity and boundless smile will be remembered.

Steve is survived by his wife, Mara; his daughter Renee, son-in-law Eric, and granddaughters Priscilla and Audrey; his son Michael, daughter-in-law Chelsea, and granddaughter Ellery; as well as his parents, Linda and Sheldon; his sisters, Rita and Holly; his brothers Alan, Kevin, and Michael; and a large extended family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Steve’s memory be made to Orlando Girls Rock Camp (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/OrlandoGirlsRockCamp), a music education non-profit directed by Steve’s niece, Mary, or to the charity Free Bikes 4 Kidz (https://fb4k.org/donate/), which repairs and donates bikes to children in need.

A celebration of life will be held at Babione-Kraeer Funeral Home on Saturday, December 17, 2022 from 12pm-4pm