Steffi Marianne Irene Heuß was born February 9, 1941, in Berlin, Germany, the 6th generation in the family to have been born there, and died peacefully on February 8, 2021 in Newport, Vermont, one day short of her 80th birthday. She was an accomplished artist, designer and craftsperson who graduated from the prestigious Schwäbisch Gmünd in 1961 as a goldsmith. She briefly worked at a chocolate factory as a young woman, which seemingly failed to inure her to working in hierarchical organizations, as she would never again be an employee. However, this experience did not dampen her lifelong passion for all thing’s chocolate.
In 1967, she moved to Irasburg with her husband and infant daughter. Steffi had never been outside of Germany prior to that time, but immediately fell in love with the NEK and remained there until her passing. The early days in America found her learning English by watching Sesame Street alongside her young daughter, while working on setting up her shop, Silver & Crafts, Jewelry & Gifts. She opened her shop in the front room of their large Victorian house on the Irasburg Common in the early 1970s. Steffi’s Studio enjoyed a loyal following of both seasonal and local customers for over three decades. She often returned to Germany to spend time with the family she left behind, as well as her close friends and fellow goldsmiths and artists, always learning and growing their artistry together despite the miles and years apart.
Steffi quickly made a name for herself at New England craft shows, and occupied the very first booth at the annual Antiques & Uniques fair on the Craftsbury Common until her “retirement” in the early 2000s. She did a brisk business in engagement and wedding rings, and her distinctive and handcrafted jewelry is easily identifiable. Everything she sold was made by her own hand, and Steffi spent hours drawing and planning new designs. Her creativity extended outside to her flower gardens, which offered a fragrant and colorful respite to the many visitors that frequented her shop over the years.
Steffi was preceded in death by her parents, Lieselotte Antoine Peters and Gerhard Rudolf Heuß, and her sister, Ulrike Heuß. She is survived by her daughter Katherine von Stackelberg and her husband Garth Jonson of Allston, Massachusetts, by her son Nicholas von Stackelberg and his wife Kim Korinek of Salt Lake City, Utah, by her grandchildren Sigurgeir Jonson, Bryndis Jonson, and Sebastian von Stackelberg, and by her partner Kevin Kirkpatrick. A memorial service will be held in the summer.
Steffi embodied elements of both the Old and the New World, a reserve and poise colored by a boisterous zest for life that survives in her art and in the memories of those who were close to her. She was an outgoing and accomplished conversationalist, often talking at length to newly found acquaintances on long bus and train rides necessitated by her never having learned to drive an automobile. Although she loved her native Germany, she was strong-willed and did things her own way, finding a lifelong home amongst the often-demanding landscape and self-reliant people of northern Vermont. Tschüssi, Steffi, bis wir uns wieder treffen!
Online condolences may be made at curtis-britch.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Curtis-Britch & Bouffard Funeral Home & Cremation Service, locally family owned and operated.
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