Stephanie Maria Wall

Stephanie Maria Wall, a 30 year old vibrant young woman, passed away suddenly on Monday September 22, 2014 at Stamford Hospital. Her parents, Christy and Ulrich Wall, sister Melissa and her husband Jimmy Smith, all of Stamford are heartbroken. Special thanks to Patti and Kathy who were always by our sides. Missing her terribly is her Grandmother and family in West Coast Canada, family in Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Steph’s many friends in Stamford, Cordoba, Argentina and around the world. Our thanks go to the wonderful nursing staff at Stamford Hospital.

Stephanie’s sense of adventure began shortly after she was born in Winnipeg, as her family then moved to Johannesburg, S. Africa, to Toronto to Chicago and finally ending up in Stamford. Her nomadic life gave Steph the opportunity to interact and connect with people from all over the world. She thrived on this! Her high school days at Westhill were full – the Westword newspaper, the band, the women’s swim team and was crowned as the prom queen of her senior year. Stephanie continued to flourish in the diverse community of Norwalk Community College where she studied for 2 years graduating in 2005 as a Woman of Promise. Never settling for less than her best she continued her education at Smith College, completing a degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish.

With her love of the Latin American culture and her sense of adventure Stephanie first visited Cordoba, Argentina in 2006, as a participant in the Global Leadership Program. She returned for two consecutive summers as a coordinator within the program, impacting the lives of those she met.

After graduating college, Stephanie worked for PAX – Program of Academic Exchange, a company that brought students from all over the world to experience a year of high school in the US. She advanced to become a Regional Director of the Scholarship Programs working within the State Department guidelines to place students in designated regions of the US.

The travel bug struck after 3 years and Stephanie headed out to travel in South America – Brazil being her first stop of many. While on this road of adventure she was contacted by a Cordoba friend and offered a job with Projects Abroad in Cordoba Argentina. For the past 3 years she has been living/working in Cordoba as the Social Manager for Projects Abroad. Steph connected with volunteers from all over the world & introduced them to a culture, city and environ she loved. Her “Cordoba Family” – special friends who are now a part of our Stamford family, were so helpful & supportive through the years and especially over these last few months. She had decided to return home to Stamford to explore new opportunities when her illness struck. Steph returned to Stamford on Sept. 2nd in her own “private” jet – an air ambulance!

Stephanie’s ever present positive outlook and joy of life were contagious. She inspired others, no challenge was too great, and all who met her loved her. Her smile, her laugh, her quick wit, her welcoming nature - the world lost a beautiful spirit …Such a genuinely beautiful person both inside and out – Never to be forgotten!

Friends may call, Friday, October 3rd, 2014, 4:00pm - 8:00pm at Gallagher Funeral Home – 2900 Summer Street, Stamford. A Memorial service celebrating Stephanie will be held on Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 11:00 am Stanwich Congregational Church, 202 Taconic Road, Greenwich, CT 06831.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Stephanie's name to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation http://cholangiocarcinoma.org/