Mary E. Steinberg

Mary Ellen Asher Steinberg, age 70, passed away peacefully November 4, 2019 due to cancer. Preceded in death by her parents James and Florene Asher of Springfield, Virginia, she is survived by her loving husband, Ron Steinberg of Chicago, and her three siblings, sister Lesley Asher Rackowski and husband Tom of Portland, NY; James Asher and his wife Brooke of Charlottesville, VA; and Daniel Asher and his partner Carol Leitkam of Reston, VA. She is also survived by her nephews Andrew and Brandon Rackowski and her nieces Ryan and Cydney Asher.

In addition to her family, Mary loved and was loved by numerous friends, associates, co-workers, and students. She was incredibly curious, intelligent, funny and caring. Mary travelled all over the world; had diverse musical interests (John Prine in particular); loved movies; frequently attended theater and comedy acts; loved to read; and enjoyed discussions on politics and social issues. She loved spending Saturday afternoons at Chicago's weekly comedy news show The Paper Machete at the Green Mill Lounge.

Mary bravely faced down various physical challenges over the years, including muscular sclerosis, to lead a highly successful career. She worked at the Internal Revenue Service from 1971-1997 as a Revenue Agent and Tax Law Specialist, Employee Development Specialist, and Organizational Development Specialist. She then became an independent consultant and trainer with expertise in communication skills, change, leadership development, conflict resolution, feedback and coaching. She was admired and beloved for her knowledge, compassion, and sense of humor.

Mary co-authored two business books, "Challenging Change: Five Steps for Dealing Positively with Change" and "Yes You Can! Everything You Need from A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action". She was most proud, though, of her final work as poet and related blogger of "When They Go Low, We Go Haiku".

A celebration of Mary's life will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the National MS Society (Greater Illinois Chapter), the Journey Care Foundation, and Chicago's The Paper Machete.