Elizabeth S. (Pumplin) Steffke

Elizabeth S. Pumplin Steffke, 33, of Guilderland, NY, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, April 10, 2003 in Schenectady, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Guilderland, NY on Sunday, April 13. Friends are invited to join the family for Prayers of Commendation being held locally at 11 a.m. Monday, April 21 at St. Joseph The Worker Church in Beal City with Father John Cotter presiding. Prelude music will begin at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Christ the King Catholic School, 20 Sumpter Ave., Albany, NY 12203. Envelopes are available at Lux Funeral Home. Elizabeth was born Sept. 13, 1969, in Champaign, IL, the beloved daughter of David and Susan Pumplin and was raised in Columbia, MD. She graduated from Michigan State University. Beth married Stephen H. Steffke on June 18, 1994 at St. Johns Catholic Church in East Lansing. She was previously a chemist and research scientist for Michigan Biotechnology Institute and Bio-Rad, Inc. She had many hobbies and was an avid quilter, seamstress, stitcher and knitter and was a well respected teacher of her crafts over the past year. Beth was an active communicant of Christ the King Church where she served as coordinator of the Elizabeth ministry, was a member of the Bereavement Committee and a musician/flutist at weekly liturgies. She founded two child play groups and a book club in the Albany, NY area. Among her many passions and interests, Beth was most devoted as a beloved wife and stay-at-home mother to her three cherished daughters. Beth is survived by her husband, Steve Steffke and their daughters, Emily 6, Hannah 5, and Madeline 2; her parents, David and Susan Pumplin of Columbia, MD; brothers, Timothy and Matthew Pumplin; and grandmothers, Ruth Wesemeyer and Maxine Milner. She is also survived by her parents-in-law, Fred and Florence Steffke of Weidman; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Ken, Bill (Michelle), Mike (Barb), Kevin, Joe (Jill), Mark (Amy) and Chris (Natalie) Steffke, Kathy (Leon) Cotter, Judi (Kim) Aney, and Denise (Rich) Griggs; and 13 nieces and 14 nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Richard Wesemeyer and Gerald Pumplin and grandmother, Elizabeth Hepburn.