Stephanie Lewis, age 82, passed away unexpectedly on December 16, 2025 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, NY. She was born on September 2, 1943, in Paderborn, Germany, to two Polish parents, Jan and Mary (Czochra) Zawiślak.

Stephanie, at the young age of 2 ½, traveled with her parents on the S.S. Marine Perch, to start a new life in the United States. They entered Ellis Island as an immigrant family looking for a better life. She resided in Syracuse, NY, as a young child and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1961. Stephanie then started her family in North Syracuse, raising two boys, while employed as a secretary in the Syracuse Family Court. For the last 36 years, she has called Cicero, NY, home. 

She was a wonderful, caring mother and adoring grandmother to three grandchildren, who affectionately called her "Grandma Babci." Besides her grandchildren and animals, her greatest joys included singing in the Polish choir at Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, being a member of the Rosary Society, and attending Polish dances and functions. In September 2023, she was able to travel to Poland, visit her parents' birthplaces, and meet Polish relatives on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Stephanie is survived by her two children: Stephen Lewis of Liverpool, NY, and Brian Lewis (Kim) of Camden, DE, as well as her beloved grandchildren, Brendan, Natalie, and Eric Lewis.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on December 20,  2025, at 9:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org