THOUSAND OAKS : Tim Steinmetz, 26, Dies of Leukemia

Tim Steinmetz, for whom three suitable bone marrow donors were identified six weeks ago, has died of leukemia in Thousand Oaks.

Steinmetz, 26, had been unable to undergo a transplant because of failing health, said his sister, Lynn Angell.

“It was just a little too late,” Angell said. Steinmetz died Tuesday night at Los Robles Regional Medical Center.

Born March 8, 1964, in Minneapolis, he came to Thousand Oaks with his parents when he was 6 months old. In 1982, he graduated from Thousand Oaks High School, where he was a pitcher and a defensive end.

Two days before his 25th birthday, he experienced a severe backache and was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia. After chemotherapy and radiation treatments, the disease went into remission for almost nine months.

Unable to find a suitable match among family members, he put his name on hundreds of bone marrow transplant registries worldwide. Several fund-raisers were held to help pay for tests.

Family members estimate that 1,000 people were tested as possible bone marrow transplant candidates.

Steinmetz is survived by his mother, Beverly Steinmetz of Thousand Oaks; brothers Gregg Anderson of Simi Valley and Scott Anderson of San Diego, and sisters Lynn Angell and Tammy Berg of Thousand Oaks.

Visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary, 101 E. Wilbur Road, Thousand Oaks. Funeral services are scheduled at 1 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Community Church, 31293 Via Colinas, Westlake Village, with burial to follow at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village.