Stella A. Northrup

Stella Kryszek Northrup , 92, died May 14 at Marquette Manor Health Center. Born September 6, 1917, in Dublin, Ireland, to Dr. Bertie and Elizabeth Beggs, Stella grew up in England, where she received a gold medal as a student of acting at the Guildhall in London and studied at St. Thomas's Hospital to become a Florence Nightingale nurse.

She served in Rhodesia during World War II as a nurse. She returned to Great Britain and worked several years as a speech therapist, assisting Christy Brown, author of My Left Foot, before immigrating to Canada, where she married Dr. Stanley Kryszek. In Nova Scotia Stella was a speech therapist and speech and dramatic arts teacher. Later she instructed theological students at the University of King's College.

In 1973 she and Stanley moved to Harrisburg, PA, and a year later settled in Indianapolis. Stanley passed away in 1982. In 1986 Stella married Arthur Northrup, a lawyer and a former member of the Indiana State legislature. He died in June 2002.

Stella served in leadership roles in several volunteer organizations, had a wide circle of friends, and was especially active in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, where she was a longtime member. Stella wrote and produced an acclaimed set of recordings and instructional manual for training lay readers which is used in churches world-wide.

She is survived by her step-daughter, Jean Kryszek (Don) Chard, three grandchildren, Diana, Brendan and Jacob, all of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and brother Michael (Pam) Beggs, two nieces, and one nephew of England.

The funeral service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church , 6050 N. Meridian St., at 11 AM , on Friday, May 21, with inurnment immediately following at Crown Hill Cemetery. Calling will be at the church one hour before the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Indianapolis Humane Society or charity of donor's choice.