Obituary of Stephanie Mae Klausner

Stephanie Klausner was a fiercely independent woman. She strived to live life on her own terms.

She was born in 1947 in Brooklyn and grew up in Middle Village, a sleepy section of Queens, New York, with her parents and two sisters. She started college at sixteen at the State University College in New Paltz, New York, dropped out for a while and eventually graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in archeology at 23. In between, she worked for VISTA in Kentucky and West Virginia. It was there that she met her first husband, Steven Kramer. They stayed together for several years.

In New Mexico, Stephanie became a working field archaeologist for about ten years. On the job, she met fellow archaeologist David Killam, and they eventually married. David came from a family of bird watchers and Scottish shortbread bakers, and Stephanie enthusiastically took up both interests. They stayed together until 1987.

After Stephanie had long settled into living alone, her mother, Jeannette, had a stroke and developed severe aphasia. When she could no longer live on her own, she and Stephanie moved in together in Denver. Stephanie helped to bring many enjoyments to Jeannette’s final couple of years.

Stephanie was an avid reader from an early age. She was happiest when lost in a book and loved recommending titles to others. Sharing this passion led to her working at Capitol Hill Books for ten years and later at the Colorado Talking Book Library as a reader advisor.

Stephanie’s other passion was tea. She became extremely knowledgeable, and her enthusiasm was infectious. And, she had a remarkably discerning palette. She started a small tea business, did tea tastings and tea ceremonies around Denver, and consulted for others in the tea community.  She was also a consummate collector of teapots and tea cups (as well as many other things) on a very limited budget. A part of her collection was even chosen for an exhibition at the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art.

Until her last few years, Stephanie was an avid museum and theatre goer and visitor to the Denver Botanic Gardens. Even when those trips became a challenge, she tried to keep them up, relying on friends to take her. Gardening was an interest that led her to involvement in the community garden, which brought new close friends into her life. When that became too difficult, she still regularly grew plants on her front porch.

While prizing her independence, Stephanie’s life revolved around connection, especially to friends and her sister, Cheryl. She could be a very good friend, and her friends proved crucial to her ability to continue living independently in the last number of years as her physical condition worsened.

She is survived by her sister, Cheryl and two nieces, Barbara and Judith.