Sheila Dawn Stahl Epstein

Sheila Dawn Epstein died October 1. She was preceded in death by her mother Elma Ballou Stahl, her father Maurice Stahl and her brother Gordon Stahl. Sheila grew up in Ohio, then she moved to Colorado for college. She later did graduate studies in psychology and philosophy at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She was drawn to the Southwest, and taught for one year in a head start program at the Picuris Pueblo in New Mexico. She gravitated towards education, had training for kindergarten teaching and for Waldorf education. She moved to Chicago for a job at the Esperanza School, a special education school, where she taught for 17 years. She married William Epstein in Chicago in 1989. The Chicago climate was hard on her, so in 2002 the couple moved to Santa Fe, a place she had always liked and with a climate that was better for her. In Santa Fe she taught preschool at the Garcia Street Club and then taught special education in the public schools. She retired in 2015. Sheila was active in a knitting group at the Mary Esther Gonzales Senior Center and in the Anthroposophical Society, and volunteered in a school library. She also sang in the Zia Singers, Santa Fe Community College Chorus and Santa Fe Symphony Chorus. She contributed to Southern Poverty Law Center, Habitat for Humanity and numerous Native American charities. She was well liked by a wide circle of friends and colleagues. She is survived by her husband Willian Epstein, a cousin in Cincinnati, a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, two nephews, and two great nephews. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to Habitat for Humanity or Amnesty International.