Koidula Maria Schonberg

Katie Schonberg left her native Estonia as a child. Here in America, including in North Carolina, she married, raised a family, was blessed with six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and, as a registered nurse, cared for the sick.

Koidula Maria “Katie” Schonberg of Hickory, N.C., passed away on April 25, 2026, after an extended illness. Graced by love and opportunity, she died without regret. She was 86.

Katie, as she was known, was born on May 8, 1939, in Estonia in eastern Europe, the daughter of Julius and Anna Taavoste. She was a child when the family left for the United States, a journey that included time in a displaced persons camp in Germany. (This was after World War II. Neutral during the war, Estonia suffered casualties at the hands of the Soviet Union and then Nazi Germany.)

Katie grew up in Cranford, N.J., where she embraced a call to nursing at an early age. She graduated from Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in Boston and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Colorado.

It was on a blind date in Colorado that she found love. She and Michael Schonberg, born in Hungary and raised in the Bronx, N.Y., were married on Sept. 4, 1966, and shared 59 fulfilling years. His job as a computer programmer took them to several states before they put down roots in North Carolina in 1982 – Charlotte, Newton, Blowing Rock and finally Hickory.

Katie’s quiet warmth endeared her to patients everywhere she worked, including Catawba Memorial Hospital (now Catawba Valley Medical Center) in Hickory. While those she tended to were grateful to Katie, she was grateful for the privilege of walking with them on their healing journey.

Katie is survived by her husband, Michael, of Hickory; two sons – Joseph Julius “J.J.” Schonberg (Elizabeth Pritchard Lingo) of Charlotte and Peter William Schonberg (Michelle) of Maiden; six grandchildren – Jack Schonberg Jr., Caroline Schonberg, Chelsey Lowman, Cierra Schonberg, Chase Schonberg and Ceth Schonberg; and six great-grandchildren – Gavin Thompson, Carris Thompson, Genesis Bumgarner, Vayda Bumgarner, Cayden Millsaps and Olivia Schonberg.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Heino Taavoste.

A service to celebrate her life will be at 4 p.m. Monday, May 4, at First United Methodist Church, 311 3rd Ave. NE, Hickory. A time of fellowship follows.

A gift in her memory can be made to Humane Society of Catawba County at www.catawbahumane.org or P.O. Box 2472, Hickory, N.C. 28603; and First United Methodist Church in Hickory to support its parable garden, www.firstumchickory.org or 311 3rd Ave. NE, Hickory, N.C. 28601. Vegetables grown in the garden go to local organizations that help the needy.

The family is thankful for the care and kindness shown by everyone at Better At Home. Those who come beside the elderly and ailing are angels on earth.

In her own soft-spoken way, Katie loved most everything about her life. Way back when, they relished summer weekends at their cabin in the Rockies near little Nederland, Colorado. They’d sit on the porch and watch their two boys at play. At home, they could never have too many pets. That includes the neighbor’s rabbit they babysat for a time.

Katie Schonberg, a caregiver at heart.

Condolences may be sent to the Schonberg family at www.drumfh-hickory.com.

Drum Funeral Home in Hickory is honored to be serving the Schonberg family.