Monika Steinberg

Monika Steinberg, 63, of Longmont, died Friday, November 2, 2007 at the HospiceCare Center in Louisville following a nine-year battle with ovarian cancer.Monika was born April 18, 1944 in Potsdam, Germany. At the age of 9, she and her mother, Irmgard Huhn Steinberg, boarded a ship and began a grueling trip across the Atlantic Ocean. On May 5, 1953, their ship docked in New York and they emerged, weary and seasick, but excited about the opportunities that awaited them in America.After graduating from East Patterson (New Jersey) High School in 1962, Monika attended Patterson State College, earning a degree in English. She taught high school English in New Jersey for two years where she met and later married Dr. Peter Plichka. They later divorced. She attended Columbia University in New York, majoring in art history.One of the great highlights of her life was her two years teaching in Brazil. She later returned to New Jersey and was employed for nearly 17 years with ERIC, a division of the US Department of Education. In 1992, Monika moved to Longmont, Colorado, to be closer to the mountains she so dearly loved. Upon her move, she worked as a consultant for a variety of educational programs in affiliation with the National Training Network. She later managed the postal station at the Francis Street Pharmacy, was an editor at the Institute for Performance Excellence, and worked as a receptionist at the Longmont Clinic. In addition to her love of travel, Monika enjoyed crafts such as needlework, knitting, watercolor painting, and her famous tissue box toppers. She was a member of Chapter FD, P.E.O. She will be remembered for her love of life and indomitable spirit.She is greatly missed by her parents, Irmgard and Harry Steinberg of Elmwood Park, New Jersey; a brother, Dieter Schulz and his wife, Baebel, and their children, Mike and Jana; as well as many friends; and her cats, Misty, Oreo, and Kellie.A memorial service for Monika will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at Howe Mortuary and Cremation Services, Longmont.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to A Woman's Work, 401 Main St., Suite 102, Longmont, CO 80501 or HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Suite A, Lafayette, CO 80026.Please share thoughts, memories and condolences with the family at www.howemortuary.com.