Steven J. Zlotkin January 18, 1948 – November 10, 2015

The family is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Mr. Zlotkin. They are making plans for a private memorial for friends, employees, and sports and business associates in the near future. Steve was an advocate of environmental issues as well as animal rescue causes. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to these organizations in his name.  Condolences to grunnagle.com.
 Steven Zlotkin, a resident of San Juan Bautista, CA, suffered a fatal heart attack Tuesday afternoon, November 10, 2015, while at work in his office in Gilroy.  He was 67 years old.
 Steve moved to San Benito County in 1973 and lived outside of San Juan Bautista most of that time. He was a native of Freehold, NJ, the son of Sidney and Ida (Steinman) Zlotkin, both now deceased.
 He is survived by Jean Zlotkin, his two sons, Benjamin and Michael Zlotkin and grandson, Rayland Zlotkin, now 20 months old. He is also survived by daughter-in-law, Celicia Zlotkin, Michael’s wife, and his niece, Christina Latta and her husband, Karl Runft and son, William, and his sister, Susan Jan and her husband, Richard Davis, residents of Folsom, CA.
 Steve and Jean Zlotkin were married in 1975 and lived in San Benito County since that time, mostly residing at the home they built outside of San Juan Bautista.
 Steve owned and operated an automotive business, now known as Overland Parts, located in Gilroy, CA. During the last 30 years, the business was primarily a Volkswagen and Audi auto parts distributor with worldwide customers and suppliers, but it all grew from a humble beginning in 1974 when it was known as Steve’s Foreign Auto then located in Hollister, CA.
 Mr. Zlotkin arrived in California in 1972 as a student in the aeronautics program, then in place at Gavilan College. He was a licensed commercial pilot and flew frequently from Hollister to Oakland in his own single engine plane for some years when he had relocated his business to Emeryville, CA.
 He and Jean and the children also used their Bonanza for recreational trips throughout the West and into Mexico on occasion. Steve kept up his pilot’s license until very recently.
 In addition, having come from New Jersey near the shore area, Steve loved the sea. He was happy at the helm out on the bay, and throughout his life, he owned and enjoyed boats of various types. The demands of his work and family did not allow him nearly enough time on the water, but it remained a special place of solace for him. He named his last boat, Escape.
 But Steve’s greatest passion, throughout his career and family years, remained auto racing. He was an active driver and remained so to the time of his death. Though he won two national championships, he primarily raced regionally and found the comradery, competition, and technical challenge of the sport fulfilling. He always built his own cars, and likely found that mechanical and engineering challenge to be the most satisfying part of all.
 In the early years, his neighbors in the hills west of San Juan would have seen the lights from his home shop illuminating the fog until the wee hours of the morning and perhaps even been annoyed by the thunderous sound of racing engines on occasion.