Leslie J. Steffensen, Lumberman

Leslie J. Steffensen, leader of the group who wrote Newport Beach’s city charter and one of the first to build a home in Corona del Mar, has died. He was 95.

A lumberman who had lived in Orange County for the last 80 years, Steffensen also served as chairman of the Orange County Grand Jury and as a trustee of the Newport Harbor High School District. He died Tuesday of natural causes, his son, Don Steffensen, said Friday.

A memorial service is planned at 3 p.m. today in the chapel of Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar. Remembrances may be offered to the Newport Beach Historical Society.

Steffensen and longtime friend, Judge Robert Gardner, were among a handful of locals who formed a social group they called Amigos Viejos (Old Friends). Only a few months ago, Steffensen was heard to wonder whether he should relinquish the role of toastmaster, which he has held since the group began meeting in 1950.

“He described it as a lot of people who enjoyed each other and had no purpose whatsoever,” said his son, laughing.

Born June 23, 1905, in Bricelyn, Minn., Steffensen moved with his family to Santa Ana in 1921. His father was a lumberman, and he would be too.

In 1938, Steffensen, with his father’s help, paid $900 for a lot and a half on Marigold Avenue in Corona del Mar, where there were few other houses, Don Steffensen said. It cost $5,000 to build his home.

When World War II broke out, the Newport Beach coastline was dotted with wharves and shipbuilding outfits, and Steffensen worked at one of them as a purchasing officer. Eventually, he opened his own lumberyard in Laguna Beach, which served large commercial and residential builders. He moved his family to Cameo Highlands Drive, on the inland side of Coast Highway, where he lived for 35 years.

Perhaps his biggest civic role was as chairman of the Freeholders, which wrote Newport Beach’s charter that was signed March 29, 1954. Three years later, the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce named him Citizen of the Year.

“I’m very proud of him for playing a very big part in Newport’s history,” his son said.

Although his wife died in 1984, Steffensen remained active in the community, particularly with the Newport Beach Historical Society. At a 1986 event memorializing the legendary Rendezvous Ballroom where the Big Band greats starred, he reminisced with the older crowd of 125 people about a time “when dancing was a social grace, not an athletic experience.”

In his toastmaster role, Steffensen closed the ceremony, attended by congressmen, state politicians and local leaders, by inviting everybody to continue the party at the nearby Balboa Inn, where “You’re entitled to a drink--if you pay for it yourself!”

About five years ago, after breaking his hip, Steffensen decided to move from his beloved Newport to an assisted-living facility in Irvine, Inn at the Park, where other friends had relocated.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.