PASADENA - Even if he won the lottery, Stephen Fink liked to say, he wouldn't stop working at his sandwich shop.
Fink, the founder of the Pasadena Sandwich Company, died Jan. 29 of a rare blood disease at the age of 59.
He never won the lottery, but friends and family say he left a lasting legacy through his restaurant, where strangers were welcomed like family members.
"He loved it. He loved the people and all the relationships he built there," his daughter Meghan said. "It was an extension of him. It was like being invited into somebody's home."
He is survived by four children: Meghan, 28; Kaytee, 25; Nicole, 23; and Jonathan, 21. The children plan to keep the restaurant running, Meghan said.
Fink opened the shop in 1995 after working at a deli owned by his parents for 20 years. The name came to him in a dream, Meghan said.
"He was really excited about opening it," she said. "On opening day it was busier than he would have ever expected, and it's been that way ever since."
The store held several food giveaways on occasions such as Thanksgiving Day.
"We would give food to anyone who was in need of food, anyone with nowhere to go," Meghan said. "We didn't want people to be alone. The idea was come share your life with us, or if you need a family, come join ours."
One of the most popular sandwiches was the "trust the cook" special, where Fink would make a custom sandwich for the customer.