Stephanie Westerfeld

Stephanie "Steffi" Westerfeld (October 8, 1943 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater.

Stephanie Westerfeld
Stephanie Westerfeld in 1961.
Born	(1943-10-08)October 8, 1943 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died	February 15, 1961(1961-02-15) (aged 17) Berg-Kampenhout, Flemish Brabant, Belgium
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Skating club	Broadmoor Figure Skating Club

Grave of Stephanie Westerfeld

Grave of her sister Sharon

Stephanie was the younger daughter of Otto and Myra Westerfeld. Her older sister, Sharon, was also a competitive ice skater but had retired. Her mother moved with her daughters to Colorado Springs, Colorado to enable the girls to skate at the Broadmoor Figure Skating Club. Her father lived separately from the family and her parents divorced when Stephanie was a teenager. Her sister helped financially support the family and Stephanie’s skating endeavors.^[1]

Stephanie earned a place on the United States' world team for the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships, after she finished second at 1961 U.S National Championships.

She died on February 15, 1961, when Sabena Flight 548 crashed on its way to the World Championships in Prague. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her 25-year-old sister, Sharon, who had accompanied her as a chaperone, was also killed in the crash and is buried next to her in the family plot.

Westerfeld was an honor student, pianist, and homecoming queen at Cheyenne Mountain High School.^[1]

Results

Event	1960	1961
U.S. Championships	4th	2nd