NAOMI & BILL STEIN
REGULAR DIVISION 2025
Naomi and Bill met when they were in High School in 1962. Bill was a senior at Morristown High and Naomi a freshman at Randolph High, both in Morris County New Jersey. They went steady for almost 5 years and were married in 1966.
Naomi has an art background and attended Parsons School of Design in Manhattan. She then worked
in display advertising, was a woman's and children's clothing buyer and merchandiser, as well as a wife and mother of two.
Bill attended RCA Institute in Manhattan and worked in electronics after they were married. Later on in New Jersey, he managed a large family discount clothing store and enjoyed spending time with their son Jeffrey and daughter Danielle.
After a very cold winter in New Jersey with gas and heat rationing, the family decided to move to sunny California in 1977 and settled in Vista. Naomi and Bill decided they wanted to pursue a career in the outdoors that would utilize both their talents and educations. They thought landscape contracting would be a good career, where they could work together as a team. They both attended Mira Costa College and took landscape engineering and plant identification classes and then opened up M&W Landscape in late 1979. They both worked hard and their business blossomed. In 2010, after 31 years, they sold their business and retired.
In 2008, their son Jeffrey passed away due to a debilitating sleep disorder. He was a dedicated and self-taught musician who worked for their landscape company as well. In honor of his life, Bill and Naomi wanted to do something special for their talented son. So with the help of their landscape crew, they created and donated the "Jeffrey Stein Children's Music Garden" at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens in 2010, which was and continues to be a big hit for children of all ages. They also created the "Medicinal Herb Garden" and the "Children's Discovery Trail" featuring 18 quiz boxes and focus plants, along with an information guide.
Over the years the Steins have been active in the North County Jewish Community. Bill was a member of the Shadowridge Rotary Club and Naomi joined the Soroptimists and The Woman's Club of Vista.
Naomi and Bill are both currently serving on the Board of Trustees of Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, supporting the Gardens' mission: "bringing together people, nature and art." Naomi serves as Vice President of the Board which entails hours of meetings, planning, and contacts. As volunteers, Bill is currently chairing and supervising maintenance and signage, completing hands-on repairs for irrigation, timers, and lighting. Naomi is chairman of the Landscape Design Committee for the Gardens, guiding development of new themed gardens, features, and plantings.
The Steins are devoted Gardens volunteers, spending innumerable hours each week at the Gardens volunteering, chairing events and fundraisers, consulting with community members on development and donations, giving docent tours, creating new signage, collecting fees and memberships at the front gate, and mingling with members and visitors to the Gardens. Their dedicated service shines at the heart of the Gardens and has helped keep the Gardens viable during the restrictions of COVID. The Gardens have been a continual relief valve for the community, providing an extensive and peaceful outlet for outdoor activity and botanical outreach.