David Mordecai Steinborn, 79, died Nov. 10, 2015, in Dallas, Texas.
Born in Detroit, Mich., Mr. Steinborn moved to Tucson at age 7 with his mother and brother Michael. In 1953, he moved back to Detroit to live with his father, stepmother and three of his siblings. He attended Wayne State University for two years and returned to Tucson after his father died in his sophomore year. Mr. Steinborn had 56 years of experience in commercial and residential real estate. He began his career in 1959 and in 1963, he moved to Las Cruces, N.M., after buying the Del Prado Motel, which he operated for five years. He started his own real estate office in 1967. In 1968, Mr. Steinborn and Al Socolofsky formed a real estate company by merging their two companies; they were in business together for 10 years. Mr. Steinborn served as the president of Temple Beth El, started a Jewish youth group, served as president of the Las Cruces Board of Realtors, and helped start the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Gov. Bill Richardson appointed him as president of the New Mexico Real Estate Commission. He also chaired the New Mexico Environment Board and served on New Mexico’s First Think Tank and the New Mexico Board of Education. He was a member of the Head of School Search Committee for the El Paso Jewish Academy, chaired the local United Jewish Appeal for four years and served on the boards of many other civic and charitable organizations. Mr. Steinborn served three terms as mayor of Las Cruces. For 11 years, he was chairperson of the Las Cruces Codes Enforcement Board of Appeals. In 1995, Mr. Steinborn was the charter president of the Multiple Listing and Information Service of Las Cruces. In 2008, he and his wife, Vivian, moved to Dallas so that his youngest daughter could further her Jewish education. In Dallas, he served on the Akiba Academy School Board, the search committee for the Yavneh High School Head of School, and the board of Congregation Shaare Tefilla and Dallas Vaad.
Mr. Steinborn is survived by his wife of 36 years, Vivian Salopek Steinborn of Dallas; children, Laura (Dan Cronin) Steinborn of Berkeley, Calif., Alan (Stephanie Lange) Steinborn of Corvallis, Ore., Mary Steinborn of Los Angeles, Daniel Steinborn of Austin, Texas, Jeffrey Steinborn of Las Cruces and Amanda Steinborn of Dallas; brothers, Michael (Phyllis) Steinborn of Athens, Ga., Jerome (Marilyn) Steinborn of Chicago and Mark (Sharon) Steinborn of Las Cruces; sister, Maxine Steinborn (Armend) Szmulewitz of Coral Springs, Fla.; and one grandchild.
Services were held in Dallas.
Memorial contributions may be made to Shaare Tefilla Capital Campaign, 6131 Churchill Way, Dallas, TX 75230 or Mesilla Valley Hospice, 299 Montana Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88005.
