Elizabeth Steinbach, age 85, of New Rockford, ND, died Wednesday, September 7, 2011, at Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire, WI.

Elizabeth Ann Taleff, was born August 2, 1926, in Eau Claire, WI, the daughter of Samuel and Myrtle (Anacker) Taleff.  She attended Sacred Heart grade school and graduated from Eau Claire Senior High in 1944 with honors, having received a commercial medal for outstanding work in stenography.  She was employed by the Wisconsin Telephone Company from 1944 to 1950, working first as a secretary in the engineering department, and later as an engineering draftsman with electrical engineers.  She left that job to marry John Steinbach in June, 1950, and to travel around the country and overseas during the 20 years that John served in the United States Air Force.  She was employed by the U.S. Government and worked as secretary to the Director of Plans, Eighth Air Force, during the time John was stationed at Carswell Air Force Base, Fort Worth, Texas.   Later, when John was given an overseas assignment, she worked as secretary to the Base Commander at Greenham Common Air Force Base in Newbury, England.  She left her secretarial jobs to become a full time mother with the adoption of three children – Mark, who was born in Germany and adopted while they were stationed in England, and Rory James and Mary, who were born in Edmonton, Canada.  After John retired from the service in 1970, they moved to beautiful El Dorado Hills, CA, where they spent the next thirty years, returning to New Rockford in 2001 to the Singing Hills Ranch that they established in 1950.

Elizabeth is survived by her husband John of New Rockford, a son Mark of Bismarck, a daughter, Mary (Dennis) Gehrtz, New Rockford; a granddaughter, two grandsons; one great-grandchild; one brother Robert Taleff, Eau Claire, WI; two nieces and two nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, one son Rory who died in 1961, and one brother John.