Well-known Ocean Beach photographer and Point Loma High School alum Steve Rowell, 74, died July 23, 2023, following a long illness. Those in the beach community who knew Rowell recalled his many “loves,” which included his family, photography, birds, and local history.

“One of my fondest memories as a child is going to the beach with my dad, followed by a stop at Buford’s candy,” said Kristen Keltner, Rowell’s daughter, who noted her dad photographed the opening and dedication of Ocean Beach Pier on July 2, 1966.

Rowell’s son, Adam, also had a special memory of his dad to recall. “It was hard to make it down Newport Avenue if we had somewhere to be because Dad always stopped to chat with someone,” he said. “If it wasn’t Willie (Shoeshine Willie), or Spaceman, it was another character. Typically, a picture was taken before we continued onto our destination.”

Shane Hardin, son of the late Mike Hardin of Hodad’s fame, noted Rowell won Ocean Beach MainStreet Association’s annual “Like a Boss” award this year. The award is presented to an outstanding member of the community who reflects Mike Hardin’s spirit, generosity, and love of Ocean Beach.

“He really was a genuine guy and I loved seeing him, he was just a really generous guy,” said Hardin of Rowell, whom he said was something of a regular at Hodad’s. “He would bring us prints of employees or friends.”

There is one picture Rowell passed along that Hardin will never forget. “He brought me a picture of me and my dad I had never seen in front of Ace Tattoo when I was about 2 years old with me in a backpack,” Hardin said. “It’s such a great picture. I hung it in my restaurant and in my house.”

Hardin gave kudos to Rowell for his craft. “The stuff he documented is beyond valuable for the community, to have that kind of context and history of what makes a place special,” Hardin said. He added about Rowell, “He shot all kinds of stuff over the years. But pictures of Shoeshine Willie and the characters in town over the years is my favorite stuff.”

Pat James of Ocean Beach Historical Society said Steve was a member for many years, giving talks and presentations. “He was a great guy and he was as iconic as his photographs,” said James, who knew Rowell for 40-plus years. “Steve was really into history. He will be remembered for his photographs.”

But James will always remember Rowell for one photo subject in particular.

“He will also be remembered for his documenting the ospreys down at Robb Field,” James said. “He was just really into birds and he took a lot of photographs of them. His knowledge of birds was quite amazing.”

There are other things James will remember about Rowell. “When I first moved to OB, I would always see him playing Frisbee down at the beach,” he said adding, “He was a local OB guy and he joined the historical society because people always wanted copies of his photographs.”

Another thing Rowell will also be remembered for is the photos he took for “OB in the ‘60s,” a book by Noah Tafolla.

Of Rowell, James said: “I’ll miss our conversations. We’d talk about OB history. Seems like we’d just go for hours sometimes. We both were just excited about the history and living in Ocean Beach.”

James had a special memory to recount about another of Rowell’s photographs. “One day when Steve came by we were looking at some of his photographs,” James said. “One of the buildings he took a picture of looked familiar to me. I pulled out an old postcard of Collier Shack, which was built by D.C. Collier, Ocean Beach’s founding father. Sure enough, it was a match, Steve had taken a photo of it before it was demolished. To this day, I think it’s the only picture I’ve ever seen of it toward the end of its existence.”

Steve Rowell is survived by his four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

PHOTO BY JOHN HOWARD