Maria Stermole, wife of John Stermole and mother of her son René Stermole, was born on January 8, 1922. Beloved Maria passed away on Thursday, September 12, 2024. Maria lived for 102 years, 8 months and 4 days.
Maria was born to poor family in Lorsch, Hessen, Germany. Her family did, however, have a garden, and chickens, and a goat for milk. Her grandmother studied the Bible with one of the International Bible Students, who later became known as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Maria used to hide one of their Bible publications, entitled “The Harp of God” under her pillow.
Maria won a scholarship to study opera at Darmstadt University, and Maria’s voice brought tears to the eyes of an evaluator. Maria won a national competition in opera and sang on Radio Frankfurt. Maria fell in love with a master tailor who had been arrested for preaching God’s Kingdom as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and who had been beaten by the Gestapo for refusing to salute the Swastika, for refusing to hail Hitler, and who survived Nazi persecution and concentration camps. They married and had a son, René Stermole. At René’s age of 2, they emigrated to the United States. Then Maria had an invitation by Chicago Opera Company to further a career in opera, but she turned it down to be with her family, just as earlier in Germany, before getting married, Maria turned down an invitation by a movie producer in Berlin to be with her parents.
John had severe PTSD and when René was just a boy John’s PTSD was so severe a physician recommended to Maria that she leave her husband for her sake and for the sake of her son. Maria stuck with her husband and continued to work as a seamstress which occupation she learned from John. Maria demonstrated loyal love to John who passed away in 1999, and to her son René, whom she never gave up on.
After studying the Bible with her son, Maria was baptized in 1973 with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and continued to work as a seamstress to help her family. In 1975 John had a heart attack which prevented him from working with PTSD in the stressful occupation of tailor, and he received disability from the U.S. Government and small payments from Germany for his PTSD.
Maria loved people and enjoyed talking to them about God’s Kingdom. Maria continued to talk to people about God’s Kingdom after she entered Assisted Living in 2007. Maria was very compassionate. There was an elderly lady in her Assisted Living Home who was dying. Maria prayed with her at her bedside and held her hand until the elderly lady peacefully passed away. On another occasion staff had trouble getting a lady to go to her room upstairs. Herself at the age of 85, Maria led the lady upstairs with kindness, and then Maria fell down a full flight of stairs while she called on Jehovah. Maria survived although vertebrae in her back was partially crushed and she had to wear a painful body cast for a while. Despite the injury and pain, she was not bitter at having helped the woman.
Even though Maria lost her ability to walk in 2022, and even though she was left blind in her left eye from a failed cataract operation resulting and a detached retina in the 1980s, Maria was known for her sweet smile and heartfelt gratefulness for every little thing persons did for her.
During the last 2 1/2 years Maria twice read the book “Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life” to her son over the phone, and René twice in the same time read the Bible’s “New Testament” to his dear mother over the phone. A few days before Maria’s passing, René told her that if something were to happen to her or to him, they both have a guaranteed resurrection through Jesus Christ. Maria replied “Ganz bestimmt,” German for “completely certain.”
Maria loved people, and many persons have commented on how sweet Maria is, and two persons caring for Maria said Maria is the sweetest person they’ve ever known. At least once a day on the phone with René during his three calls a day to Maria she recited fruits of God’s holy spirit, “Love, joy and peace, patience, kindness, and goodness” and stressed each one. And when she said goodness, her voice often lifted up.
Maria loved people, and Maria loved Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ. She was compassionate and forgiving. When wronged by others Maria would say “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Maria’s favorite foods to cook and bake were Pasta Schutta for dinner and Apple Streusel cake for dessert. And Maria and René often talked about her cooking and baking again in God’s Kingdom. Maria and René often talked about God’s Kingdom and moving to Germany in God’s Kingdom so that Maria could be with her dear mother in the resurrection, and could sing and dance again with her dear mother in the kitchen, and John and René would go with her, and they would have a garden, and chickens, and goats for milk.
May dear Maria rest in peace until she is called in the resurrection, through Jesus Christ.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 2:00 PM at Pinelawn Memorial Park, 10700 West Capitol Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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