Stefanie was an incredible person on many levels. She was always intentional with her word, a great lover of the arts, freely showed gratitude and warmth, and sure had a fun side, too. She loved a great party and always was cooking up something fun, especially for her grandkids. Early on in our relationship, she quickly welcomed me into the family and made me feel like I belonged. Denny and Stefanie always said that they knew Tom and I would be life partners. This statement I held onto closely, as it was both their blessing and a positive projection that became reality. We had lots of fun holidays in Orinda and they came often to visit us in southern California.  Stefanie loved to go out and learn about the many different neighborhoods we lived in Los Angeles. We were always so thrilled when she wanted to take us out to all the great restaurants we were dying to try.

As a family, we travelled together to Baltimore and of course, Hawaii often.  Once the boys were born, Stef was not so sure about being a grandma.  At first, this surprised me as I already cannot wait to be a grandma to my own kids’ children one day. But in time, she very much warmed to this new stage in her life with our boys in a very authentic way.  Lita encouraged curiosity and discovery with all the interactions she had with Charlie and Paul. This was creatively done with elaborate scavenger hunts.  After a holiday party, we would laugh as we would always find little pieces of white paper folded that were the paper trails to the fun she was having with the boys. Lita started many conversations with questions and always peeked our inquisitive brain to think deeper about many topics. While the name, grandma may have not been to her liking, it could not be more clear that she deeply loved Charlie and Paul and was a wonderful Lita!  We all felt her love and will miss her so much. 

Stef was a kid at heart. In her 70s she strapped on skis and hit the hill with us! Crazy? Maybe? Adventurous? For sure!

Stef was always kind to me. She always listened with interest. She was someone I always looked forward to visiting with.

You'll be missed Stef. Keep'em on their toes in heaven.

With Love,

Donny T

You are right Tom, whenever your Mom was there she loved to add a little spice to make things fun.  We especially saw this as Charlie and Paul began growing up - games, treasure hunts, exploring!  A great laugh and a sparkle in her eyes.
Stefanie was my friend,  our Family  and we will miss her very much.