My Sister Stephanie

[Ann Marshik]

I have so many good memories of Stephanie. I remember when we were little girls and she would let me play in her bedroom and closet and we would laugh and giggle. I remember when she started to play tennis and we would go to the neighbor's tennis courts and she would stand there and hit the ball while I ran around the courts not returning a thing! When I moved to New York, she and her friends would come visit me and we would go out and invariably drink too many martinis. I helped her move to DC from Minneapolis and we had one of the best road trips. Somewhere outside of Madison, WI we got a craving for spinach dip and soon found ourselves in the middle of some enormous grocery store and found our spinach dip. She was so excited to be in DC and start her adult life. We would visit each other in NY and DC via train or bus, usually the bus because we were both broke. Steph always had the best stories after her bus trips. They would show a movie on the bus and on her bus the choices were always a little odd and funny like the time they showed the movie Angus. Stephanie and I were able to be at each other's weddings and share in each other's joy. Of course both events had a bunch of funny things happen, which gave us years of good storytelling. Steph always had the best stories and some of the craziest things happen to her. She was such a loving and caring person and always so willingly gave of herself to other people. I truly feel so lucky to have had 35 years with her. She was one of my best friends and she taught me how to be a loving friend and sister. One of the things I miss most about Steph is talking with her. She had the gift of listening to you and being a good sounding board. She always came up with good solutions to any sort of problem or issue you may have had. She was always the voice of reason and I truly miss that! One of the things I loved most about Steph was her modesty and her graciousness. Last summer, I would always tell her how inspiring she was to me. And she would always reply, Oh Ann, I'm just Stephanie and doing my thing. She always put others first, even when it wasn't easy for her and she was always so concerned about others well-being before her own. As a friend of hers told me last fall, she had the midas touch.
Thank you Stephanie for being such a great sister and friend. Your diginity and grace will never be forgotten, only carried on in your memory! I love you!!!

[Sharon and Ron Cheich]

Anne,

What a wonderful tribute. I enjoyed reading it. Take care and give everyone there a hug from the Cheich Family. Sharon

[Christina (Smieja) Pennell]

Beautifully said, Ann. She was an inspiration to us all. You and Cathy are both just like her, as well. Spending time with you in August really showed me that. Love you!