Larraine Steinle

Larraine W. Steinle, 76 years old 

January 17, 1947 – September 26, 2023

Larraine W. Steinle passed away peacefully at home after a yearlong battle with breast cancer on September 26, 2023.  She was surrounded by family, close friends, and holding the hand of her longtime friend Susan Malone as she entered eternal life in Heaven’s Kingdom. 

Larraine was born in Milford, Delaware as the youngest daughter of Sheridan and Jeannette Warrington.  Her childhood years were spent in Georgetown and Harbeson, Delaware where she graduated from Georgetown High School. After graduation Larraine attended and graduated in the first class of Delaware Technical College, majoring in their Engineering Secretary Curriculum.

Following college, she worked in Rehoboth Beach where she met a young man named Alan Steinle.   After a few “bumps in the road” they finally started to get into a serious relationship. As Alan was entering into his senior year at UD Newark in Civil Engineering, Larraine decided she was going to move to Washington, DC. So Larraine left for Washington without a car, her parents support, with no job, no credit card, a place to live, or Alan. With her spunky and driven personality, she went to an employment agency and got a technical job at the American Chemical Society.  With the job checked off she found an apartment and began her career.   

Alan did not give up easy and quickly started visiting Larraine almost every weekend as their relationship continued to blossom and they fell in love. They married on January 2, 1971, just before Alan entered the US Army as a Second Lieutenant.  About a year later, they were blessed with their only child Tanya.   After Alan’s orders were cancelled for Vietnam, he was discharged, and the family moved back to Wilmington where they have called home ever since. 

Larraine led an active lifestyle In Wilmington working at local Hallmark store and in 1993 she would go to work with Alan as they started Steinle Construction Engineers, Inc.   Larraine would end her working career, still alongside Alan, at Steinle Construction Engineers now a division of VanDemark & Lynch, Inc.   She served both North Baptist Church and Brandywine Valley Church faithfully.  She had a servant’s heart and her love of the Lord was strong and her love for her family was even stronger.

Larraine was preceded in death by her parents Sheridan and Jeannette Warrington, sisters Sharon Lovekin and Janice Gallo, granddaughter Hope Elizabeth Desmond and sister-in-law Brooke Steinle.  She is survived by her husband Alan, daughter Tanya Desmond (Ross), grandchildren Morgan Leigh, Ryerson, Patrick, and nieces Beth Ann Lovekin Peeler, Lisa Firestine, Stephanie Gallo Kinney, Gretchen Smith, and Molly Kristofak, nephews Jeff Chambers, Robert Gallo, Stephen Lovekin, and Rick Steinle, her brother-in-law F. Richard Steinle, numerous cousins, too many great nieces and nephews to mention by name and her two grand dogs Dewey and Roscoe and her grand cat Putter. 

A private burial service will be held at Harbeson Cemetery on Friday, October 6th at 12 noon. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday October 7th at 11:00am at Brandywine Valley Church, 7 Mt Lebanon Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.  The family will receive friends starting at 10:00am prior to the Celebration of Life Service. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, c/o Christiana Care Office of Philanthropy, 4000 Nexus Drive, Suite W3-300, Wilmington, DE 19803

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