Lasting Memories

James Joseph Arnstein
1959-June 9, 2009
Alameda, California

James Joseph Arnstein, who grew up in Atherton, died June 9 at his home in Alameda. He was 50.

A third-generation California, Mr. Arnstein was born in Redwood City and graduated from Woodside High School in 1977. He received a degree in economics from UC Berkeley in 1981. At Berkeley, he was president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and played keyboard in a campus rock band. After serving as a loan officer at Wells Fargo Bank in Marin County and San Francisco, he earned an MBA at Columbia Business School in New York City. Upon graduation, he joined Coopers & Lybrand, where he served as a manager in New York and San Francisco.

He formed Arnstein Consulting in 1995, where he worked with a variety of businesses. His areas of expertise were public power, communications, and waste management utilities, say family members.

Mr. Arnstein was a pianist and keyboard player, playing as a soloist and also leading small ensembles. Groups he performed with in the Bay Area include: the Back Nine Blues Band, Pillar of Fire, Forest Hill Underground, Jason Davis and the Jazz Pirates, and the Tombshakers. Most recently, he performed at the Socha Cafe and the Revolution Cafe in San Francisco.

A lover of sports, Mr. Arnstein was an avid golfer and skier. He grew up playing at the Stanford Golf Course with his father, the late Peter Arnstein, and his two brothers. One of his greatest pleasures was watching his two sons perform in athletic events and musical performances, say family members. He volunteered in the Alameda Little League and Babe Ruth baseball leagues (where his sons played), serving as an umpire and assistant coach.

Mr. Arnstein is survived by his sons, Daniel and Matthew, of Alameda; their mother, Stacey Perkins; his mother, Marianne, of Atherton; and brothers John of Encino and Peter of Lake Bluff, Illinois.