Stephen Jay Berman

March 17, 1940 - June 9, 2023 Stephen Jay Berman, 83, of Manhattan Beach, a wonderful husband, father, teacher and friend, died on June 9, 2023 after a long battle with cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome. He died peacefully at home in his sleep, with his beloved wife of 44 years, Irene Machuca, at his side.
Jay was a humorous, warm and kind man. He will be remembered for his never-ending devotion to Irene, his love for his son Dennis, and the countless careers launched as a teacher and mentor. He was a great writer in his own right, published in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Times of London, travel publications and many other outlets.
Jay was a devoted fan of Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and The Beatles. He had encyclopedic knowledge of all things baseball, with particular fondness for the Angels going back to their Pacific Coast League days. He loved writing about baseball more than anything. He was a longstanding member of the Society for American Baseball Research and saw baseball games in as many countries as he could.
Jay and Irene traveled across the globe, their favorite cities being Vancouver and London. Jay adored little animals, especially squirrels, and always carried peanuts, almonds and walnuts in his pocket to feed whatever little friends he encountered.
Jay was a talented and thoughtful journalist and a brilliant and inspiring teacher at California State University at Fullerton from 1981 to 1992, and part-time in the 70s at University of Southern California. His students often became his lifelong friends. He would not let them call him Professor Berman. He was always just Jay. He was proud to tell people that his students went on to careers as media professionals across the country and world.
Jay was born on March 17, 1940 in Los Angeles, to David Berman and Thelma Collins Berman. He graduated from Marshall High School in 1957 and started his college years at Occidental College, before transferring to USC, graduating in 1961. He later returned to USC to get his master's.
Jay was a reporter and eventually city editor at The Daily Breeze in Torrance and Santa Monica Evening Outlook in the 1960s. He returned to the Breeze as a copy editor from 1986 to 2009.
Jay had multifaceted talents and interests, and showed his versatility in his career choices. In the 60s, he was a reserve police officer in Hermosa Beach. While serving as an officer, he was honored by the city of Hermosa Beach for rescuing a child who had fallen off the Hermosa pier. In the early 70s, he was spokesperson for Los Angeles District Attorney Joseph Busch. In 1977, he was press secretary of the Los Angeles mayoral re-election campaign of Tom Bradley. In 1978, he managed Yvonne Brathwaite Burke's campaign for state attorney general. After his political work, he joined the staff of ICPR public relations firm and taught part-time at USC.
Then Jay joined the faculty at Cal State Fullerton, where he taught journalism classes and was faculty advisor for the student newspaper The Daily Titan. For 11 years, he helped launch countless careers in journalism.
Jay is survived by Irene, the love of his life, of Manhattan Beach; his son Dennis Berman and daughter-in-law Carol Berman of Cypress; and granddaughter Samantha Berman of Long Beach. He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers Richard Berman of Los Angeles and Martin Berman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He also is survived by his aunt Nancy Norman, a singer who performed and recorded with Sammy Kaye's Swing and Sway Band. He stayed friends with his first wife, Dennis' mother Joan Lewan, who died less than two months before Jay did.
Jay's family wants to thank Dr. Deborah J. L. Wong, Jay's oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, for her professionalism and kindness.
Memorial donations can be made to the Jay Berman Daily Titan Scholarship at Cal State Fullerton. Donations can be made at give.fullerton.edu/dailytitan by choosing Jay Berman scholarship on the dropdown menu. Memorial donations also can be made to the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (aamds.org).
Burial will be private. A celebration of his life will be scheduled soon.