Maria Schoenberger died Wednesday, Feb. 1, at her home. She was born in 1937 to Karl and Anna. She grew up in a small village in the southwestern part of Germany close to the Black Forest.
“Her farming background contributed to her lifelong love of gardening and flowers,” a loved one wrote to The Malibu Times. “As a fun loving teenager she met Klaus, and they were later married and, shortly after, immigrated to the United States.”
Schoenberger worked as a “cleaning lady” while Klaus worked as a machinist. Within a few years, their entrepreneurial spirit took over and they started a business in tooling and molding. The couple also invested in real estate properties and fixed them up.
Schoenberger had two children, Lisa and Scott, and donated time at local schools and libraries.
“She also enjoyed choir, painting, baking and flying,” a loved one wrote. “Maria had a great sense of adventure and loved to travel.”
Schoenberger and her husband traveled all around the world. “She would always jump at a chance to be in a small plane or helicopter,” a loved one wrote. “With her world travels, her love for her adopted country became stronger, and she became a U.S. citizen, which she was very proud of.
“Probably the most special thing about Maria is that she loved people. She could not go anywhere without touching people with her infectious laugh and quick smile.”
Schoenberger took interest in others and made friends quickly with everyone she met.
“She also loved to spread joy with her baking,” a loved one wrote. “In Christmas time, she would bake over 80 Linzer Tortes to pass out to family and friends.”
Schoenberger is survived by her sisters Margret, Klara and Agnes, as well as her children Lisa (Logan) and Scott (Jennifer), and grandchildren Sarah and Andrew.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), at eaa723.org, and marked as “in memory of Maria Schoenberger to make sure it is used to teach kids to fly.”