Fred Steiner probably figured he would grow old in his birthplace, Vienna, Austria, selling costume jewelry and teaching violin lessons on the side.
But by 1939, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were making life difficult for Jews in Austria and Czechoslovakia. So he and his young wife, Lilly, fled to Lyon, France, only to run into the Nazis again. After a time in a Vichy-run concentration camp, he and his wife managed to make their way to Pittsburgh. On Aug. 13, Mr. Steiner celebrated his 100th birthday at the Charles Morris Nursing Home in Squirrel Hill.
Mr. Steiner, who had four siblings, was one of only four people in his extended family who did not die in a Nazi concentration camp. His granddaughter, Jodi Hirsh of Wilkinsburg, said he nearly died when he contracted blood poisoning on the ship from France. He was hospitalized immediately upon his arrival at Ellis Island, and doctors wanted to amputate his arm. He refused and eventually recovered and moved to Pittsburgh.
Mr. Steiner has never explained how he escaped from the concentration camp. His granddaughter believes it’s his honest nature, even though it was an unjust imprisonment. He once paid his federal taxes twice, she says, because he was afraid he hadn’t paid quite enough.
He and his wife, neither of whom spoke a word of English when they arrived here, had one child, Shirley Steiner Hirsh, in 1943. Mr. Steiner found a job in grocery stores, working his way from stock boy to store owner (of the Market House on the North Side) and never taking a single vacation day.
In 1954, he bought a house in Morningside and lived there until January 2012. Lilly Steiner died in 1997 and his daughter in 2001. Before he moved to the nursing home, he was an avid painter (oil, acrylic and watercolor), gardener, pianist and violinist. Though he is still relatively independent, his memory is failing.
The boss turns 101
Carl Eichenlaub, former president of C.M. Eichenlaub Co., turned 101 on Aug. 18 at Atria South Hills in Baldwin Borough.
Mr. Eichenlaub, a graduate of Peabody High School, worked at Eichenlaub, a school furniture company, for his entire career. He and his wife, Mary, who died in 1995, had two children, Dorothy Eichenlaub Franchak and Chuck Eichenlaub.
Mr. Eichenlaub has been a member of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church for 57 years and the Duquesne Council of the Knights of Columbus for 82 years. His hobbies include gardening, bowling, bridge and traveling. He celebrated his birthday at Atria with friends and family.
To be included, send the honoree’s biographical information and your phone number to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Century Club, Attn: Kevin Kirkland, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222. Fax: 412-263-1313. E-mail: kkirkland@post-gazette.com.
