Adelaide Smith Stefanik's Obituary
Adelaide Smith Stefanik passed away peacefully on September 9, 2016 at Bayshore Pointe Nursing and Rehab in Tampa, Florida. She was an extraordinary and generous woman who always brought a smile to everyone she met.She served our nation as a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy during WWII and has her name etched on the wall of the Woman in the Military Service for America Memorial in Washington D.C. She was also a 50 year member of the Order of Eastern Star.She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph Stephen Stefanik, whom she married August 6, 1947 in Morehead City, N.C. after a falling in love though a chance meeting on the beach. When Steve retired from the U.S. Marines, in 1966, they bought a cabin cruiser and oceanfront property in Freeport, Bahamas as they were always in search of a new adventure. After giving the Caribbean lifestyle a whirl, they decided to settle on ten acres of land near the Orange River in Fort Myers, Florida so that their daughter, Stephanie, could be educated in a superlative school district, and Adelaide eventually started a new career there with the Lee County School Board where she met many lifelong friends.Even though Adelaide had always been a city girl, the “horse bug” hit the entire family and soon after the home was built, a barn, riding ring and pastures followed. She loved riding and enjoyed being a horse show mother, spending countless weekends escorting her daughter to shows across the country. She was also a Girl Scout leader and even had her husband build a campground on the property so her troop could camp out in tents in the wild.Following the passing of Steve, she sold the family farm and moved to Tampa to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. She bought a home in the Wellswood area of Tampa and gained friends immediately as a volunteer for St. Joseph’s Hospital, The Hillsborough County Department of Aging Services with “Meals on Wheels”, and as a member of St. John’s Methodist Church. In her late 70s she even learned how to use a computer (in the early days of AOL) to stay in contact with her many friends. Her energy and positive attitude made a significant impact on all of the lives she touched.She loved to travel and went on expeditions around the world with her husband and daughter. Among her most remarkable trips was in 1999 when she took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and was baptized in the Jordan River. One of her favorite places to visit was New York City, where later in life she would get lots of smiles from passersby, wearing her faux leopard trimmed hats and jackets, pushing her three-wheeled walker through the streets of Manhattan. She had lived there as a young woman and the vibrancy of the city always made her excited to visit. She also enjoyed spending time and traveling with her two grandchildren, always eager to take them to new places to broaden their horizons.She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie Collore-Coates and Daniel D. Coates, and grandchildren Lindsay Collore and Taylor Collore.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory at Mystic Chapter #110 Order of the Eastern Star P.O. Box 270306, Tampa, FL 33688-0306.To share a story, leave a tribute or to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time please visit Adelaide’s memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign her guestbook.
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