Obituary for Paul Sternfeld
Sternfeld, Paul
Paul Sternfeld lived an epic life, passing away peacefully at the very ripe old age of 102 on November 7, 2021. Anyone who lives to that age at this time, filled with such wit and wisdom, is deserving of great honor.
Paul is the beloved husband of Edith Sternfeld. Cherished father of Michael Sternfeld and Karen Rollins. Loving step-father to (the late) Steve Dorn, Perry (Britta) Schechtman, Randi (Jay) Dorn Ryan, Marc (Donna) Schechtman and Craig (Laina) Schechtman. Loving grandfather to Brady, Todd, Lauren, Ryan, Megan, Lindsay, Alex, Michael, Jamie, Noah, Helena, Nela, Sonya, Adam, and Arielle. Caring great grandfather to Max, Wynn, Theo, Owen, Sam, Aidan, Olivia, Addy, Asher, and Ella. Devoted brother to the late Ernst Sternfeld. Adored uncle to Ruth Mesnil and Bill Sternfeld.
Services will be at New Light Cemetery, 6807 N. East Prairie Road, Lincolnwood, IL, on Wednesday, November 10 at 1 PM. The funeral will also be live-streamed and can be viewed on Paul’s webpage at www.mitzvahfunerals.com , or any time after the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of Paul can be made to TBA. For more information please contact 630-MITZVAH or (630) 648-9824.
Here’s a brief recap of the extraordinary life of Paul Sternfeld….
Paul was born in Vienna, Austria in 1919 to an affluent and cultured Viennese family. Even though they lived through the Great Depression that also swept Europe, life was good for Paul, being very active in the Boy Scouts, skiing and attending engineering school. But the “good life” was brutally interrupted when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, and overnight the family lost virtually everything. With the help of his brother, a medical doctor, Paul barely escaped with his life from the emerging Holocaust in Austria and emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago.
Arriving in Chicago with nothing and limited English-speaking ability, he showed his prowess as a true survivor in the way he strove for success. The technical skills he gained in engineering school enabled him to eventually land a job as a tool and die maker, an invaluable trade since the war was just starting and his services as a skilled machinist were needed.
After the war started, Paul insisted on enlisting in the army, and because of his German-speaking ability, he was put in the Signal Corps, engaging in intelligence operations. Initially his duties were in translating documents and wiretapping, but later he was sent to the front lines in Anzio, where he served interrogating German officers and on dangerous assignments behind enemy lines. Paul was among the first troops entering and liberating Rome, and some of the other Jewish soldiers in his platoon were ironically selected to have an audience with the Pope.
After the war Paul came back to the United States as a decorated hero. He reconnected with the German and Austrian immigrant community in Chicago, played semi-pro soccer with Hakkor—whose supporters started as the Center Sport Club and later coalesced into Temple Ezra. Four families from Germany/Austria bonded through these experiences—the Schectman’s, Kahn’s, Blum’s, and Sternfeld’s— and became lifelong friends (and their children as well continued these lifelong connections).
Through these connections, he met and married his first wife, Elfie, in Chicago. There he had two children, Karen and Michael, and worked as an engineer building gauges used by the Atomic Energy Commission and later became an “Austrian toymaker” as an engineer in the toy industry. Along the way, he also finished his engineering degree after many years.
After Elfie, his beloved wife of 28 years, passed on due to cancer at the early age of 47, Paul “intermarried” their close family friend Edith Dorn ( Schectman), who brought into the family five of her own children from several previous marriages. They had an absolutely magical 30-year retirement. They traveled the world, took cruises, had an incredibly active social life, seeming to enjoy just about every minute of it.
Paul was very active throughout his life, actively boating, and camping, plus snow skiing and water skiing into his seventies. Most significantly, he played league tennis up to four times a week until he was 90 years old! He drove until he was 95, and he and his wife were still going out three or four times a week up through their mid-nineties.
The last few years of his life became a little bit more sedentary, but his mental acuity stayed incredibly sharp until the very end. Paul and Edith were also very blessed to have devoted caregivers who lovingly attended to their every need, with special mention to the amazing Kim Delarosa, plus Dado and the rest of the team.
One of our family members called Paul the strongest man he ever met. Solid as a rock for the whole extended family, he was admired for his exemplary stability, stoic nature and clarity. We asked him once his secret for living such a long and healthy life. His answer: “Never be upset about anything”.
We were beginning to think he might live forever, but finally he’s moving on to those great tennis courts and ski slopes in the sky. He will be missed by all.
Paul Sternfeld lived an epic life, passing away peacefully at the very ripe old age of 102 on November 7, 2021. Anyone who lives to that age at this time, filled with such wit and wisdom, is deserving of great honor.
Paul is the beloved husband of Edith Sternfeld. Cherished father of Michael Sternfeld and Karen Rollins. Loving step-father to (the late) Steve Dorn, Perry (Britta) Schechtman, Randi (Jay) Dorn Ryan, Marc (Donna) Schechtman and Craig (Laina) Schechtman. Loving grandfather to Brady, Todd, Lauren, Ryan, Megan, Lindsay, Alex, Michael, Jamie, Noah, Helena, Nela, Sonya, Adam, and Arielle. Caring great grandfather to Max, Wynn, Theo, Owen, Sam, Aidan, Olivia, Addy, Asher, and Ella. Devoted brother to the late Ernst Sternfeld. Adored uncle to Ruth Mesnil and Bill Sternfeld.
Services will be at New Light Cemetery, 6807 N. East Prairie Road, Lincolnwood, IL, on Wednesday, November 10 at 1 PM. The funeral will also be live-streamed and can be viewed on Paul’s webpage at www.mitzvahfunerals.com , or any time after the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of Paul can be made to TBA. For more information please contact 630-MITZVAH or (630) 648-9824.
Here’s a brief recap of the extraordinary life of Paul Sternfeld….
Paul was born in Vienna, Austria in 1919 to an affluent and cultured Viennese family. Even though they lived through the Great Depression that also swept Europe, life was good for Paul, being very active in the Boy Scouts, skiing and attending engineering school. But the “good life” was brutally interrupted when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, and overnight the family lost virtually everything. With the help of his brother, a medical doctor, Paul barely escaped with his life from the emerging Holocaust in Austria and emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago.
Arriving in Chicago with nothing and limited English-speaking ability, he showed his prowess as a true survivor in the way he strove for success. The technical skills he gained in engineering school enabled him to eventually land a job as a tool and die maker, an invaluable trade since the war was just starting and his services as a skilled machinist were needed.
After the war started, Paul insisted on enlisting in the army, and because of his German-speaking ability, he was put in the Signal Corps, engaging in intelligence operations. Initially his duties were in translating documents and wiretapping, but later he was sent to the front lines in Anzio, where he served interrogating German officers and on dangerous assignments behind enemy lines. Paul was among the first troops entering and liberating Rome, and some of the other Jewish soldiers in his platoon were ironically selected to have an audience with the Pope.
After the war Paul came back to the United States as a decorated hero. He reconnected with the German and Austrian immigrant community in Chicago, played semi-pro soccer with Hakkor—whose supporters started as the Center Sport Club and later coalesced into Temple Ezra. Four families from Germany/Austria bonded through these experiences—the Schectman’s, Kahn’s, Blum’s, and Sternfeld’s— and became lifelong friends (and their children as well continued these lifelong connections).
Through these connections, he met and married his first wife, Elfie, in Chicago. There he had two children, Karen and Michael, and worked as an engineer building gauges used by the Atomic Energy Commission and later became an “Austrian toymaker” as an engineer in the toy industry. Along the way, he also finished his engineering degree after many years.
After Elfie, his beloved wife of 28 years, passed on due to cancer at the early age of 47, Paul “intermarried” their close family friend Edith Dorn ( Schectman), who brought into the family five of her own children from several previous marriages. They had an absolutely magical 30-year retirement. They traveled the world, took cruises, had an incredibly active social life, seeming to enjoy just about every minute of it.
Paul was very active throughout his life, actively boating, and camping, plus snow skiing and water skiing into his seventies. Most significantly, he played league tennis up to four times a week until he was 90 years old! He drove until he was 95, and he and his wife were still going out three or four times a week up through their mid-nineties.
The last few years of his life became a little bit more sedentary, but his mental acuity stayed incredibly sharp until the very end. Paul and Edith were also very blessed to have devoted caregivers who lovingly attended to their every need, with special mention to the amazing Kim Delarosa, plus Dado and the rest of the team.
One of our family members called Paul the strongest man he ever met. Solid as a rock for the whole extended family, he was admired for his exemplary stability, stoic nature and clarity. We asked him once his secret for living such a long and healthy life. His answer: “Never be upset about anything”.
We were beginning to think he might live forever, but finally he’s moving on to those great tennis courts and ski slopes in the sky. He will be missed by all.