Karolina Stutzman

Karolina Margarete Elisabeth Meyer Stutzman, age 69, of Newark, DE, lost her fight with cancer Thursday, March 1, 2018 at Season’s Hospice and Palliative Care in Newark, DE at the Christiana Hospital.

Born on September 20, 1948 in Glashütten, Germany to the late Konrad and Margaret (Bärnreuther) Meyer as the youngest of 3 children.  She came to the U.S. with her parents at age 9.  After spending her younger years in the Germantown, Philadelphia area, she married in March of 1970 and spent the next 30 years in South Jersey raising her three children Karen (Michael) Mitchell, Kevin Stutzman, and David (Melissa) Stutzman.  The rural life expanded her love of nature, gardening, and birdwatching, and she enjoyed spending many summer vacations at Parvin State Park.  In 1996 at the age of 48 she graduated from what is now Rowan College at Gloucester County with an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies.

When she moved to Delaware in 1997 her love of nature grew with the purchase of a digital camera. Every picture, be it bird, bug, or plant, was entered into a digital gallery that she meticulously maintained.  Whether it was a Mystery Trip to an unknown location to hunt a specific bird or a day trip to Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge in Smyrna, DE, she could always be found with a pair of binoculars around her neck and a smile on her face.

Karolina was intelligent, introspective, curious, and funny.  Whether discussing politics with her son-in-law, religion with nephews, or an unidentified bird with her daughter, she carried herself with honesty and wit.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in passing by her older sister, Brigitte Meyer Steiner.  She is survived by her children, Karen Mitchell (Michael), Kevin Stutzman, and David Stutzman (Melissa); brother, Walter Meyer; granddaughter, Margaret Maggie Stutzman; niece, Debbie Kirtland (Ralph); nephews, Peter Steiner (Cathy), Douglas Steiner (Lois), J.P. Meyer, and Michael Perbix.

The family will receive friends and acquaintances at an informal celebration of life from 10 am to 2 pm, Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the home of David Stutzman, 1723 Tower Rd., Aberdeen, MD, 21001.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either Bombay Hook NWR at www.friendsofbombayhook.org, and/or sent to the Parvin State Park Appreciation Committee at 789 Parvin Mill Rd., Centerton, NJ 08318.