Community fixture Lora Steinmann turned 90 on March 31, the day before April Fool’s Day, as she likes to relate.
She was surprised one week early when she returned from singing at the Catholic church by her children, and children-in-law, and her two brothers at her home in Wrightwood. A nice brunch ensued.
Lora originally came to Wrightwood in 1946 when her folks bought a cabin in town. She met her husband, Heinz, in Wrightwood in 1959 and became engaged.
Together, they had raised 11 children in town, and their direct descendants and their families now number over 140 people (The number is always changing).
As if raising that family was not enough, Lora and Heinz also ran Holiday Hill until 1979, when it was renamed part of Mountain High. Shortly thereafter, she apprenticed as a draftsman, earned her contractor’s license, and has since designed and built over 60 homes in the combined communities of Wrightwood, Phelan, and Pinion Hills.
She may be best known in this community for founding the Wrightwood Junior Players Theater Group and putting on innumerable productions for children, and also directing over 15 adult plays for the community. She also leads a choir at church, formerly served as Chairwoman of the Municipal Advisory Council in Wrightwood, formed a group to start the Wrightwood Country Club, and is a friend to so many people and groups in the community.
It’s been a full life so far, and those of you who know Lora know she has a long way to go. She is still up before dawn and providing the best meals in town for those who drop in, which is a lot of people.
