West Roxbury cornerstone Steve Slyne passes away

Former City Councilor John Tobin reports the passing of Steve Slyne, longtime owner of the eponymous Centre Street deli and organizer of West Roxbury's pre-election Harry Truman rallies.

Tobin, who worked at Steve Slyne's - where the Real Deal is now - as a young man, recalls:

Steve owned and operated Slyne's Deli for a generation. The store was the epicentre of all things West Roxbury. It's where you went to get a half pound of Boar's Head baked ham and a quarter lb. of American cheese but also caught up on all the social and political aspects of what was going on and were coerced by Steve to spend the rest of your money on the lottery number or scratch tickets. The place was loaded with more characters than "Cheers" and it was how people connected with each other long before social media was even thought of. The fact that it was sandwiched between Decelle's and Hanley's Bakery that each employed every other girl in WR did not hurt either.

When Slyne decided to retire, his deli became the Real Deal.