Sylvia Mae Stenzel, 62

Sylvia Mae Stenzel, 62, passed away Sunday, May 20, 2007, at Health Center Northwest in Kalispell.

Sylvia was born Oct. 12, 1944, in Bertha, Minn. Her mother, Verna Chase and her older sister, Jeanne, were living with Verna's sister and brother-in-law, while her dad, Harris Chase was in the Philippines.

Harris did not see his daughter, Sylvia, until she was 14 months old because he was in the Army during World War II. When Harris returned home in 1945, the family lived in Otter Tail County with Harris's folks, Ben and Nancy, before moving to a small farm near Lyman Store. The Chases moved to Deer Creek when Sylvia was in elementary school and there she grew up and graduated from high school.

She married Roger Stenzel on Feb. 7, 1970, in St. Mary's Basilica at Minneapolis. They moved to Montana in October 1976, where she worked as a telephone operator and then as a housewife. Their son, Joseph Benjamin, was born in 1980.

Sylvia will be remembered as a loving compassionate wife, mother, sister and friend. She had lived her life with optimism, never complaining. Her caring always put others before herself. To her, life was like a song. She would come up with a line from a song in the middle of conversations. As she sang through life, her sense of humor brought everyone a lot of joy.

Sylvia and Roger have enjoyed traveling since retirement and developed many friendships in Arizona and along the way. She loved people and writing. Her unending positive attitude, joyous spirit, and struggle with cancer the past two years have made her an inspiration.

She has left everyone she touched in life with happy memories and 'hope for the peace she now finds in God's presence.'

Sylvia is survived by her husband, Roger Stenzel; her son, Joe Stenzel, and his wife, Sara; her sister, Jeanne Everhart, and her husband, Doug; her brothers, Michael Chase and his wife Neila, and Jeffrey Chase and his wife Lynn; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 25, at the Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls. Rev. David Merkel will officiate. She will be laid to rest in Woodlawn Cemetery in Columbia Falls.