Kelli J. Stenstrom

Kelli is survived by her precious son, Thomas (Tom) Fisher, and her mother, Joe Ann Stenstrom of Bethesda, MD. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Matthew C. Schwab, in 2025, and her father, Robert B. Stenstrom, in 2010.

Kelli was born on May 26, 1971 in Silver Spring, MD and grew up in nearby Bethesda. Kelli was a bright, joyful, energetic child who was involved in everything. Her talents were wide-ranging, including ice skating, ballet, swimming, tennis, Girl Scouts, cello, and more. She had a gorgeous soprano singing voice and, although she never pursued singing seriously, her third-grade class chose her to play Mary Poppins in the school musical where she gave an excellent rendition of "Spoonful of Sugar.”

Kelli graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1989 and earned a B.A. in History from Kenyon College (Ohio), graduating in 1993 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. At Kenyon, her curious mind found a place to flourish, and she formed lifelong friendships with a group of women who became like sisters to her. She loved pre-parties, late-night talks and pizza, and long lunches at the dining hall. She studied in Florence during her junior year of college, immersing herself in the culture of art, food and wine, things that became lifelong passions.

After college, Kelli moved to New York City and worked as a paralegal before attending Columbia Law School. She earned her J.D. in 1998 and served as an Executive Editor of Columbia Law Review. Kelli began her law career clerking for the Honorable Charles P. Sifton of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She later worked for Davis Polk & Wardwell as an Associate before joining Deutsche Bank’s litigation and regulatory enforcement group in 2004. During her 22 years at Deutsche Bank, Kelli built an impressive career and valued relationships with colleagues, ultimately serving as Global Head of Legal eDiscovery, Director and Associate General Counsel.

Living in NYC, Kelli embraced city life and forged deep and lasting friendships. She loved beach house weekends, annual girls’ trips to Puerto Rico and Scottsdale, going to the farmers market, discovering favorite restaurants and boutiques, and reading the NY Times over bagels in Central Park. She was a voracious reader, loved to cook, and enjoyed a nice glass of wine. She was interested in art and politics, and she was always educating her girlfriends on the latest trends in all things. Kelli’s musical taste ranged from the Cure to Beethoven to Taylor Swift. She was always up for a dance party, and loved bringing her friends together for celebrations.

Above all, her greatest joy was being a mom to her son Tom, whom she welcomed into the world with her former husband, James Fisher, in 2012. Kelli adored Tom and was enormously proud of the kind, creative and intelligent young man he is becoming. Her happiest moments were simply those spent together with him. In Brooklyn, Kelli especially enjoyed being involved at Tom’s school, taking him to Carroll Park, and spending family weekends in the Catskills. Kelli and James remained good friends and devoted co-parents, and Kelli wouldn’t have had it any other way.

In 2023, Kelli married Matt Schwab, having first fallen in love at Kenyon and finding their way back to each other many years later. Matt and Kelli were soulmates, and Matt wholeheartedly embraced his new role as a loving stepdad to Tom. The three of them loved spending weekends together in Salisbury, CT–cooking special meals, going out on the boat, and spending afternoons at the brewery with friends. They had many wonderful times as a family before Matt passed away unexpectedly in 2025.

Kelli had a great sense of humor and a big, unmistakable laugh. She could be quiet and introverted at times, but she was also fiercely independent, brave and strong-willed. Throughout her life, she had a strong moral compass and was always willing to stand up for others and do what was right. She was a loyal and caring friend and mother who could be counted on to lend an ear, share a laugh, and offer support, no matter what.

Kelli will be remembered for her vivacious energy, her incredible curiosity, her incisive mind, and the love she gave to her family and friends. While she will be deeply missed by those who were blessed to know and love her, there is comfort in knowing she is at peace.

A Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday, October 10 at 11 a.m. at Noroton Presbyterian Church at 2011 Post Road in Darien, CT, with a lunch to follow.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Kelli’s memory can be made to an education fund for Tom at https://go.fidelity.com/LlPZZP or the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at https://donate.nami.org/fundraiser/7580227.