Maria Linda Stall

View the full video replay of Maria Stall's Celebration of Life at Northland Church here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybHSQ-8lteE

Watch a touching video slideshow honoring Maria Stall's life, lovingly created by her son here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vofii8qyvAc

====================================================

Maria Linda Stall Obituary:

Maria Linda Stall was welcomed into the arms of Jesus at 8:20 pm on June 1, 2023.

Born in Detroit on March 26, 1960, Maria grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan with her loving parents, three sisters, and two brothers. After graduating from West Bloomfield High School, Maria started her career, her ministry work, and six years later, her beautiful family of four kids-who she affectionately referred to as her "treasures."

Maria loved studying God's Word, volunteering, going to art festivals, watching Florida Gator football games with her family, working in her yard, ballroom dancing, creating and continuing traditions for her family at every holiday, birthday, and at weekly Sunday night family dinners. She was considered "our best friend, our rock, the glue of our entire family, the sun that we orbited around, our compass, and our strong Faith Warrior," by her kids. They knew Maria was always there for them, pointing them toward God's grace and wisdom, and constantly demonstrating what it looks like to be a follower of Christ by humbly and selflessly helping others. Maria was consistently there with love for her kids, supporting their involvement in healthy activities as they grew up. Maria's unwavering commitment to her family continued into her children's adult years then carried over to their spouses and two grandchildren. "We all call her Wonder Woman for a reason!"

After moving to the Orlando area with her family in 1997, Maria earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida (UCF), with the highest distinction of Summa Cum Laude, and the Founder's Day Award three times. Maria was also a dedicated full-time employee at Finastra, noted for being hardworking, devoted, and beloved by her coworkers.

Even with a full family life and work, she was also a member of Northland Distributed Church in Longwood, Florida, a leader in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), and mentored women one-on-one each week. After the sudden loss in 2020 of her beloved husband, Dave Stall, Maria took what she learned about working through grief and eventually led others in the GriefShare "Loss of Spouse" group and the grief "Steps" group. Maria also donated and volunteered her time in many other volunteer activities throughout the years to support others in need, such as Alopecia awareness and research, helping children in poverty through World Vision, the Special Olympics, ChildFund, Baby DJ, and Give Kids the World.

Though she is preceded in death by her husband Dave Stall and her father Domenico Zugaro, Maria is survived by her four children: Michelle (Sick) Carroll (spouse: Michael), Steven Sick (spouse: Skylar), Ryan Sick (fiancé: May and her daughter Olivia), and Matthew Sick; her two grandchildren: Leah Carroll (age 7) and Caleb Carroll (age 1); her mother Joan Zugaro; her father-in-law Bob Stall; friend and father to her four children, Bill Sick (spouse and sister in Christ: Anna), her five siblings: Daniel Zugaro, Laura Zugaro, Michael Zugaro (spouse: Rene), Joan Hay, Jeanette Krikau (spouse: Tim); as well as a large extended Italian family.

A private graveside memorial service was held in Gainesville, Florida at Forest Meadows Cemetery on Friday June 9, 2023, officiated by family friend and Chaplain, Dan Wolf.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 10:30 am with a light reception to follow at Northland Church at 522 Dog Track Rd, Longwood, Florida 32750. All are welcome. Please wear any shade of blue/teal/turquoise to honor Maria.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Children's Alopecia Project (CAP) in honor of Maria's 7-year-old granddaughter, Leah Carroll. Maria ("Mimi") was her biggest supporter, cheerleader, and advocate. www.childrensalopeciaproject.org.

====================================================

In Loving Memory, A Tribute by Steven Sick, Son of Maria Stall:

As many of my friends and family already know, my beautiful mother, Maria Zugaro Stall, was welcomed into the arms of Jesus a month ago, on June 1, 2023. It's hard to believe that it has been a month since her passing, as the days since then blur together, and the void left behind is felt every waking moment. And while I often feel overwhelming sadness, profound feelings of gratitude and hope often alleviate the sorrow as I think back to how blessed I was to have a Mom like I did, and knowing that she is now being rewarded in Heaven for tirelessly, humbly, and selflessly devoting her life to her family, others in need, and her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Anybody who truly knows me understands the extraordinary bond I shared with my Mom. It was an unconditional love that only a mother and son could have for one another. But more than that, our wiring was the same. We were cut from the same cloth and could deeply empathize and understand each other, in a way that I've never experienced with anyone else. I could enter a room, and without uttering a word, Mom would already know how I was feeling. She understood how I processed things before I even articulated my feelings. And she would always know the perfect, loving words to say to me or the insightful advice I needed to hear. We could talk for hours and hours about our shared faith, happy family memories or family history, what was going on in the world, or anything at all – we just loved being with each other. And I'm so grateful that my Mom and I made so much time for each other during her time on Earth, and we both showed each other such unconditional love along the way.

God really blessed me in the final three months of my Mom's life by granting me the opportunity to spend nearly every waking moment with her at both the hospital and my home. They are some of the most beautiful and impactful moments on my life, and times I will cherish forever. At times, my Mom was suffering greatly in her final three months, but even in this state, Mom never stopped faithfully praising God, while remaining so kind and compassionate to others. I've never seen anything like it and this example of continuing to praise God even through great trials, while consistently treating others with love and warmth, even during times of intense suffering, will continue inspiring me and having a profound impact on my life, until I'm eventually reunited with my Mom again in Heaven one day. I can only imagine the immeasurable rewards that must have awaited my Mom in Heaven for the faithful and selfless life she led here on Earth (Matthew 6:19-21).

In the final months of Mom's life, God also blessed Mom (and our family) with several miracles. Many of which still can't be explained by the medical professionals helping Mom. I will forever cherish the memory of waking up on Mother's Day 2023, which was the morning of my wedding to Skylar, and witnessing the miraculous overnight healing of my Mom's legs. It is a moment that I am eternally grateful to God for, as it allowed me to share a mother/son dance with my beautiful Mom on the most special day of my life, just two and a half weeks before Mom ascended to Heaven. Dancing with my Mom at my wedding had been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and I am profoundly grateful to God for granting Mom and I that precious moment and allowing Mom to play such a significant role in my wedding. Mom brought so much life and joy to the day, staying up past 1:30 am with the family. And the whole time, radiating with her eternal beauty and love, just like she always did.

My Mom was the greatest Mom that me and my three siblings could ever have dreamed of. She was our rock, the glue of our entire family, our protector, our role model, and our strong Faith Warrior. No matter what us kids went through in life, Mom was there for us. She had four kids but somehow never missed anything. While we were growing up, Mom sacrificed to make sure us kids could be involved in many healthy activities, which ranged from youth groups, to (many) sports teams, to marching band, to rock bands, to theater, etc. She gave us the most loving, supportive, Christian upbringing imaginable. And that amazing love, commitment, and loyalty extended from the day we were born until the day Mom was called to Heaven. And it carried over to our spouses, Michael, Skylar, and May, and to Mom's two grandkids, Leah and Caleb.

Throughout our lives, Mom tirelessly and joyfully dedicated herself to creating and maintaining cherished family traditions. Whether it was holidays, birthdays, or her weekly Sunday night family dinners, she looked for ways to bring us all together to create lasting memories. Her love for family was boundless, and she understood the immeasurable blessing it would be for each of her children to belong to a loving, supportive, and tightly-knit family unit. And like always, her intuition proved right beyond measure. Among the countless blessings that Mom has given me over my life, my two remarkable brothers, Ryan and Matt, and my incredible sister, Michelle, are at the top of that list. Mom nurtured our relationships over the years, fostering countless moments of joy and happiness. I cannot fathom a life without my extraordinary siblings by my side. In them, I see the living spirit of Mom, as her remarkable legacy continues to thrive within each of them. I have yet to encounter a family or siblings as closely connected, supportive, and genuinely loving as ours-a true testament to the remarkable woman our Mom was and the sacrifices she made to make this all possible.

And even with a full family life and full-time work, Mom also devoted much of her time, God given talents, and resources to helping others. For as long as I can remember, Mom was a leader at Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), where she not only served as a dedicated leader every Wednesday night but also dedicated herself to attending early morning BSF leaders' meetings on Fridays or Saturdays, waking up at 4:00 or 4:30 am. She also generously invested countless hours into mentoring her BSF group members on an individual basis each week.

One of the defining aspects of my Mom's life was her unwavering commitment to selflessly helping and supporting others. And even in the midst of great trials and hardships, Mom always found a way to use her experiences for the benefit of others. Rather than harboring anger towards God or bitterness towards people during times of adversity, she consistently opted for a different path. Mom continued to praise God, showed grace and love to others, and turned her own trials into opportunities to help others. Throughout her life, there were countless examples of this remarkable quality. One instance was after the sudden loss of her beloved husband, Dave Stall, in 2020. Despite everything Mom was already doing to help others, Mom utilized the lessons she learned from working through her own deep grief to guide and lead others in both the GriefShare "Loss of Spouse" group and the grief "Steps" group, where she provided wisdom, love and support to those navigating the loss of their own spouse, just as Mom had done. Remarkably, she continued this selfless work until the day God called her home.

But Mom not only taught others about how to work through grief and loss, she also taught me. Our family has experienced several losses, with numerous beloved family members also getting called to Heaven over these past three years. Mom guided me through all of these losses. And now, as I confront the incomprehensible sorrow of her own passing, I find myself turning to her words still echoing in my heart, a guiding light through these darkest hours. Looking back, I realize that Mom had been subtly preparing me for this inevitable moment, knowing firsthand the profound impact and, to be candid, the devastating weight this loss would have on me. Her foresight and love were nothing short of extraordinary.

But with this all being said, the selflessness and humility of my Mom cannot be overstated. Many of the incredible acts of kindness and support she extended to others, she never told a soul about, as she never sought recognition or even credit for her actions. Her sole purpose was to serve and help others, with God as her only audience. While people may have known her for her involvement in certain areas of service, the extent of her good works are truly only known by God, as she never boasted or even shared with others about her contributions. Despite how close Mom and I were, she never even told me everything she did to help others – I would just see her doing them. Each day, as I go through her things since she was called Home, I keep finding more and more people she was helping or causes she was supporting. For instance, along with everything else I have mentioned, she dedicated her time and resources to supporting Alopecia awareness and research, sponsored children in poverty through World Vision and ChildFund, generously contributed to the Special Olympics, volunteered at Baby DJ to assist economically disadvantaged families, and provided support to children with critical illnesses at Give Kids the World. Additionally, when we were kids, Mom opened our home for long periods of time, to several of our friends who were facing very hard situations and had nowhere else to turn. She became a nurturing figure to these individuals, extending her motherly care to even more children during that time.

And to add on to everything else Mom did, she also put herself through college and graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF), with the highest distinction of Summa Cum Laude, and the Founder's Day Award three times. Mom was also a dedicated full-time employee at Finastra, noted for being hardworking, devoted, and beloved by her coworkers.

Mom always called us kids "her treasures," but the truth is, we were the lucky ones and I'll never know how I was so lucky to have her as my Mom. I'll be thankful to God every day for the rest of my life that He gave me her as my Mom. And I'll be forever thankful for everything Mom did for me, sacrificed for me, taught me, and how deeply and unconditionally she always loved me.

After we lost my step-Dad, Dave, only three years ago, Mom said, "Our strong Faith in Jesus gives us the daily strength to maneuver through this huge void in our lives, but we live with Hope in knowing one day we will be reunited again." And while I can't wait for my reunion with Mom again in Heaven one day, Mom also would remind me that, "if you're still here [on Earth], God still has a plan for you here. Just keep pushing and pushing. Yes, you can grieve but don't let that stop you from living here. Because our time here is very short. So use it wisely." And this is what I will do, in honor of Mom but for the Glory of God.

Like my sister says, Mom wasn't built for this world. She was built for Heaven and eternity with God. And Mom is finally home.

I will love you for eternity Mom, or as I always call you… Madre. See you again.

====================================================

View the full video replay of Maria Stall's Celebration of Life at Northland Church here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybHSQ-8lteE

Watch a touching video slideshow honoring Maria Stall's life, lovingly created by her son here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vofii8qyvAc