UPDATE: 2-15-2019: I initially wrote and published this post on Feb. 28, 2010. Apparently, in the years since then, some of the links that refer to the Los Angeles Times articles have gone bad. However, I did uncover Steffi’s obituary that was published in the LA Times and have linked it here. Lynda
That was the familiar confident sound of the brass knocker at my front door announcing Steffi’s arrival……. canvas tote bag in hand. Inside that bag were always a floral-print chair cushion, several pairs of scissors, adhesives, some scraps of ribbon, and various other crafting supplies. As she carefully claimed and arranged her place at the table, she always had a story to share with us about something intriguing – a new restaurant that had opened, a talk she was giving in Seattle, or maybe just a rare deer that had wandered through their property recently. But whatever her news, it was always delivered with that unique, charming, spunky flair that I just have to call “SO Steffi”.
Once she was settled, stamping class could begin.
And so it went – for the past dozen years. Through monthly Stamp-a-Stack gatherings & Stampers 30 Club meetings, annual Christmas Card classes, Stamp Camps and classes that featured more complex projects, and even a one-time-only opportunity to take a trip into Seattle with a dozen of us excited, enthusiastic stampers for a full-day seminar last spring…. year after year, Steffi charmed her stamping friends with her SO-Steffi style. In spite of advancing arthritis in her hands and a myriad of other health challenges, she continued to persevere with her stamping and papercrafting – even though it often meant she had to turn certain delicate details over to me to finish for her. It was always a privilege to help her, and I count myself the most fortunate of all of us to have been here for every one of those memorable events.
There will not only be a very empty chair, but an empty place in our hearts when we gather ’round the stamping table again next week; Steffi left not only us, but her adoring husband Rick, and countless numbers of other friends and fans far and wide last Monday.
As I’ve chatted with the friends in our stamping circle as well as our neighbors here locally this week, I’ve noticed the same words keep coming up in our conversations: charming, spunky, adorable, endearing, fascinating….. and I just smile and nod my head. Yep, all those and more. She certainly was.
A peculiar thing about many stampers is that we often like to stamp cards, but then we sometimes have a hard time giving them away. But not Steffi. She was a prolific card “sender” as well. She would often make upwards of 8 – 10 cards at a time here at our monthly stamping sessions, and I’m fairly confident she did indeed send out nearly every one. As the holiday season approached she made both Hanukkah cards and Christmas cards – and sent to each friend accordingly. And every year I had the privilege of helping her make several (often somewhat complex) custom gifts for special people in her life. One such special person was Rick – and he told me she had given him this Valentines mailbox right before she was hospitalized. When I visited at their home, I smiled to see it attractively displayed in their kitchen – chocolates tumbling out just like I’d envisioned.
Late last year Steffi’s sister Nina came up from the Los Angeles area to visit. Steffi was anxious to bring Nina over to say hi and show her some of the cards and recent class projects that I always have on display around here. While we chatted, Nina spotted a certain card design that she particularly liked, and she announced to Steffi that she wanted a set of those cards for her birthday. So as soon as Nina’s visit was over, Steffi ordered the necessary supplies, and then early this month she and I met so that I could give her some pointers on how to recreate that particular card design. (Well, a version that was similar, although not an exact copy.) She had decided to make 4 of those cards, and when she returned for Stamp Club a week later (Tuesday, Feb. 9th) she proudly displayed those 4 beautiful completed cards, explaining to the ladies at the table that they were to be her sister’s birthday gift because Nina had special-ordered them. I can still see Steffi’s happy smile as she passed those cards around and everyone admired them – and we could tell she’d worked meticulously to make that special gift for her sister.
Five days later Steffi was in the hospital. As the days crawled by and her condition grew more grave, I felt the need to ask Rick when Nina’s birthday was. I’m sure that probably seemed an odd question to be asked at the time, but I figured he would likely not know of the existence of those special cards, and I felt compelled to make sure that Nina would receive her birthday gift from her sister. Well, Rick checked his records and announced the date, which turned out to be later in the spring. “Oh good”, I remember thinking, “there’ll be plenty of time to hunt down and send those cards later.”
Well. Turns out I needn’t have worried myself about those cards – because according to Nina, by the time I started asking around she’d already received them in the mail – more than 2 months in advance of her birthday! Ever the orchestrator, SO-Steffi strikes again!
I only knew Steffi the last dozen years of her life – after she and Rick had moved to Whidbey Island from Southern California. But those of us around the stamping table certainly enjoyed the fascinating stories of her younger years – in a time and place that seems such a contrast to the context in which we knew her. You can read about her colorful Hollywood years in recent pieces in the Los Angeles Times (here and here), and also in a post by local blogger, Sue Frause. I just had to share about the Steffi *I* knew and admired.
We’ll be gathering around the same stamping table again next week. And there’ll be an empty chair with a hard wooden seat. Steffi won’t need her cushion this time, but I’m sure she’ll be there with us. I’ll watch for familiar ink smudges.
