Neil Eric Stoneberg

Stoneberg’s legacy includes a life of service to his church, his beloved wife and family, and his profession.

Stoneberg was born January 30, 1943 to parents Leonard W. Stoneberg and Lois Neilsen. When they divorced, Stoneberg resided with his mother and grandmother in the Marcola/Springfield/Eugene areas. Later the family moved to Nyssa, Oregon. He graduated from Nyssa High School in 1961. Later, he met the woman who would become his wife, Joyce Arlene Harty, at the Portland Skyliner’s Tall Club. One of their first dates included the Portland Zoo, and he was enamored with Joyce. She wore pretty headbands, which he admired!

They were married August 22nd, 1970, and enjoyed 54 years of marriage. In that time, the Stonebergs had two children, Andrea and Eric. In the last two decades, Neil and Joyce enjoyed a life of love with Andrea and her husband, along with grandchildren Kate and Emma, taking trips to various places.

Being a grandfather to Kate and Emma yielded huge returns for Neil. As a natural-born teacher—and his wife Joyce and daughter Andrea also worked in education—Neil eagerly taught his granddaughters about flowers and plants. He made sure the home was full of books and National Geographic magazines, and as he had done with his own children, schooled and quizzed his grandchildren. He was a loving and doting grandfather.

Perhaps his empathy and compassion can be attributed to difficulties he endured as a child. He was born with a cleft lip and palate, in an environment not particularly supportive. The first two months of his life were spent at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Because he worked hard to overcome health and emotional issues related to that, he chose nursing for a career. He was the very first male nursing student at Treasure Valley Community College.

As the first male in the program, he met challenges. For example, he could not live in the all-female nursing dormitory. Nevertheless he earned his ADN, and began his nursing career.

His career included 37 years at Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland. He returned to Linfield University for his bachelor’s degree, graduating in 1983 as an older student. Once again, Stoneberg proved that nontraditional students had a place on campus.

During his career, Neil Stoneberg mentored many young nurses, assisting them to realize their potential. As a detailed, conscientious healthcare worker, Stoneberg had a keen eye for his patients’ health and wellbeing, and often advocated hard for them. He was a wonderful care provider, and combined strong clinical knowledge with a warm bedside manner. He served as a charge nurse, and nurse supervisor, in cardiac and coronary care units. He was involved with helping to open a special unit, ICVR, where patients would come in for day procedures such as stents and angioplasty.

Neil Stoneberg was active at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon. He was involved in men’s ministries, serving several years as the financial secretary for the Knights of Columbus at St. Pius X. He sponsored young men joining the priesthood in Tanzania and traveled there three times with Joyce to complete various service projects.

In his later years especially, he enjoyed many family trips, including to the Oregon coast, Eastern Oregon, and a road trip to California. He enjoyed growing a garden and flowers, and all his neighbors enjoyed the fruits of his labor! He loved nothing more than time with his beloved wife and family.

In September of 2022, Neil Stoneberg was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. Despite a long, hard battle with cancer, he made time for his family. His legacy of family, church, and service will live on through them.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Providence St. Vincent hospital for making him comfortable in his final hours.

Survivors include his wife, Joyce; daughter Andrea Schenk (Erik); son Eric Stoneberg (Leanne) ; grandchildren, Kate and Emma Schenk, and William Stoneberg. He is survived by his older brother, Knute Stoneberg (Kay) of La Grande, OR, and sister Karen Glenn (Larry), of Nyssa, OR., and 5 nieces and nephews. He is survived by his half sister, Deeanne Workhoven.

Services will be held on December 3, 2024, at St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Rosary 10:30 A.M.

Mass 11:00 A.M.

with reception to follow

Interment services are scheduled for family only at Mt Calvary Cemetery.

Arrangements handled by Pegg, Paxson and Springer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made to the following organizations which Neil supported:

■ Linfield University Nursing Scholarship: Linfield.edu/stoneberg

■ Moshi Diocese Seminarian Sponsorship https://www.kmho.org/sponsorships/seminarian/

■ St. Pius X Raise the Roof Campaign : https://www.stpius.org/raise-the-roof