Steve Shulman, longtime grocer and community figure at Leschi Market along Lake Washington in Seattle, died Wednesday night from the effects of COVID-19, his family says.
“We all mourn the passing of this generous man who has been a pillar of the Leschi community and beyond for many years,” his nephew Yousef Shulman, co-owner of the store, wrote.
The impact of Steve Shulman and his illness on Leschi was featured in a Seattle Times column Wednesday.
Yousef Shulman said his uncle’s death was especially wrenching because he was kept in quarantine at the hospital, and because the community can’t gather to mourn or celebrate his life due to the coronavirus social-distancing restrictions.
Steve Shulman was 67. He began working in the store along Lakeside Avenue in Seattle when he was a teenager, and his extended family has owned it since the 1940s. He also was a co-founder of the Seattle Police Foundation and served on numerous community group boards.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Shulman “was the heartbeat of Leschi – he knew everyone, what wine they loved & how they were doing in their lives.”
Yousef Shulman said the store, which was closed last weekend for a deep cleaning after Steve Shulman was diagnosed, is open and stocked to serve the community during the coronavirus crisis.