Stephanie Frances Schoenberg of Savannah, Georgia, passed away on December 7, 2025, surrounded by her son Kurt Schoenberg, daughter Ellen Ivey, and son-in-law James Ivey. She was cherished as a devoted mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and will be remembered for the steadfast resilience, strength, and warmth that defined her long and
remarkable life.
Stephanie was born in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, to Austrian immigrant parents who had come to the United States seeking opportunity and a better future. Her father worked on the railroad as a foreman, and some of Stephanie’s fondest childhood memories were the simple joys of accompanying him and her siblings on small rail-car rides used to inspect track lines and search
for burning cinders from steam locomotives. She grew up in a lively household that included her parents, brother, sisters, and two grandfathers.Tragedy struck early in Stephanie’s life when her mother died while giving birth to her fifth child in 1928. With her father unable to both work and care for the children, Stephanie was placed with foster parents at the age of eight. Despite the hardship, she carried forward her mother’s kindness, her father’s work ethic, and an inner strength that would sustain her throughout her
life.
At eighteen, Stephanie moved to New York to be near her brother Frank, her sister Agnes, and Agnes’s husband, Theodore Trautmann. In 1940, she relocated with her sister and brother-in-law to Chicago, where she later met her future husband, Frank Schoenberg. Before their marriage on January 14, 1948, she worked as a buyer for a large dress-making company, Tabin
-Picker, demonstrating the independence and capability that marked her young adulthood.
As a mother, Stephanie devoted her life to raising her three children. She was unfailingly present—supportive, instructive and fully engaged in their lives. Her dedication extended into the community through volunteer work with the Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, PTA, and other organizations. Her children were the center of her world, and she built a home defined by stability and love.
Stephanie’s strength was evident not only in her early life but throughout her remarkable longevity. She touched many along her life’s journey and was revered for her kindness, generosity, and the loving way she treated others. Her warmth drew people to her, and her resilience inspired those who knew her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, sisters, her loving husband Frank and her daughter Denise Avara. She is survived by her son, her daughter, her sons-in-law, her daughter -in-law, her nieces, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, all of whom were deeply devoted to her and enriched by her presence, wisdom, and enduring affection.
Services for her interment will be announced at a later date but will take place in Owings Mills Maryland where she will be buried, with her husband Frank, in the Garrison Forest Veteran Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to Hospice Savannah, in Savannah Georgia.