Bianca Maria Niccoli Steffensen

After a brave and tireless battle with Lewy body dementia Bianca Maria Niccoli Steffensen passed away on August 22, 2017, surrounded by family and friends. Treasured mother of Isabella Steffensen (son-in-law Michael Grimes) and Sabina Steffensen, grandmother of Sophia and Anna Grimes and Adriana and Clara Stoesser and mother-in-law of their father Paul Stoesser. Born in Rome, Italy in 1933, Bianca and her husband Roberto Steffensen (deceased 2010) immigrated to Canada in 1965 from Italy with their young daughter Sabina. Here Bianca embraced with courage, curiosity and compassion, all that life in a new country had to offer. After a sojourn in Houston,Texas the family settled in Ottawa where she worked as a pharmacist at Montfort Hospital from 1974 until the birth of her first granddaughter, Adriana, in 1991. A true Roman beauty inside and out, Bianca was passionate about cooking for friends and family, travelling with her husband, growing cacti, searching Tuscan hills for Etruscan art, watching foreign film, supporting human rights, combing the beach for shells, practising yoga and vivaciously reading. She remained determined and dignified till the end. We are so grateful to her close friend Gloria, caregivers Beverly, Anna, Marjory, Elda and Lalaine as well as the staff at Symphony Senior Living whose support we could not have done without.

Friends and Family are invited to visit at Beechwood, Cemetery and Funeral Services, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Friday, September 1, from 1 o’clock until time of Memorial Service in the Sacred Space at 3 o’clock.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to her favourite charities Amnesty International or World Wildlife Fund.