Ursula Steves

Ursula Steves (nee Schurmann) was born in 1931 in Neustettin, Pomerania, rural Germany. She grew up on a farm with two brothers and two sisters. She would sometimes ride a donkey-led wagon to school and once had a dog bite treated with the hair of said dog. She had to evacuate her town twice during World War II, once to a refugee camp in Czechoslovakia, and eventually to the American-occupied zone of Berlin. Along the way, Ursula continued supporting her family and community with farmwork and received training as a seamstress.

In Berlin, Ursula met U.S. Army private Andrew Steves at the Alhambra dance hall. After a persistent courtship, she left with Andrew to live in America, first in The Bronx and later in Queens, New York. They married in 1952 and had 4 children. She also stayed in touch with much of her family in Germany and Canada. In addition to caring for Andrew after he became sick, Ursula worked for more than 20 years as a health aide at a nursing home near her home in Jamaica, Queens.

That home, Grandma's house, has been a gathering place for 5 generations worth of family, friends, and neighbors to celebrate, commiserate, or just have Sunday dinner. Ursula was the lynchpin of this community, a source of stability and support to anyone who needed it, noted for her calm and gentle demeanor in a house of chaos. Everyone she met felt her warmth and carried it with them. And while she rarely made a fuss or raised her voice, you'd know from a look if she was really upset with you.

Ursula was incredibly kind and generous. She was always ready to fix you a meal, even when it hurt her to stand up. She was incredibly organized and conscientious. She stayed on top of birthdays and kept an excessive amount of records and receipts. She was slightly superstitious. No shoes on the table. She loved The Sound of Music, Englebert Humperdinck, lavender, and almonds.

Ursula leaves behind 4 children: Tracey, Cookie, Harry, and Andy; 8 grandchildren: Patrick, Melanie, Tracey, Samantha, Harry, Glen, Andrew, and Brian; and 5 great-grandchildren: Brianna, Alissa, Brayden, Anthony, and Gianna.