Erna Steinitz

Erna Steinitz, age 95, a long-time Danbury resident, died on October 14th at Danbury Hospital, after a short illness. Born Erna Ernestine Voigt in 1915 in Berlin, Germany, she was the wife of the late Kurt Steinitz, also of Berlin. After emigrating to the U.S., the Steinitz family came to Danbury in 1949. A trained bookkeeper, Erna worked for a time after arriving in Danbury at Hamilton Press and as a drill press operator for Danbury-Knudsen. She subsequently worked for many years at Kay-Ess, Inc., the family's screen printing and manufacturing business, located first on North Street and later in the converted Empress Theater building on Main Street. Her commitment to community service included work as a Red Cross volunteer, and she led the Hayestown Avenue School PTO in initiating the city's first Teacher Appreciation Day in 1959. Her many other activities included singing in the Danbury Community Choir and participating in the Universalist Society's Great Books Discussion Group. Later in life she pursued adult education classes in calligraphy and signing (American sign language). She was prodigious in needlecraft, and taught many to knit and crochet. Erna had a great gift for multi-generational friendships and kept up a huge correspondence that diminished only somewhat in her later years. She always had a special place in her heart for children, and a strongly engaged interest in and sympathetic understanding of the lives of everyone she encountered. She was predeceased earlier this year by her beloved little sister, Herta Voigt of Berlin. She will be sadly missed by her daughter, Gloria Montgomery, and Joe Montgomery of Washington, D.C.; her son, Michael Steinitz, and Pamela Hartford, and their daughter, Alice Harty, of Salem, Mass.; and her granddaughter, Wren Montgomery of London, England. Erna's family extends its thanks and gratitude to the many caregivers and organizations who helped her to remain happily active and independent in her home. Donations in her memory may be made to the Danbury Visiting Nurse Association, 4 Liberty St, Danbury, CT 06810. The family welcomes any who wish to hear and share memories of Erna to visit the Steinitz residence at 7 Kingswood Rd, Danbury, on Saturday, October 23, from 2 to 6 p.m.