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1923-2026
Stella Cornrich Birnbaum, 103, a longtime resident of East Liverpool, Ohio, and later Boynton Beach, Florida, died on Oct. 28, 2026.
Born in July 1923, Stella was the daughter of Nathan Cornrich and Dora Spatz Cornrich Weiner. She was raised in East Liverpool and graduated as valedictorian of the East Liverpool High School Class of 1940. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education from The Ohio State University and taught in the East Liverpool City School System from 1943 to 1953.
After leaving teaching to raise her family, Stella continued her dedication to education through public service. She served on the East Liverpool Board of Education from 1976 to 1995, including five years as president. She was chosen in 1987 to the All Region Board of the Ohio School Boards Association in recognition of her exemplary service. A lifetime member of the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association, she was also a founding member of the Scholars Committee of the East Liverpool Schools and served on the board of the East Liverpool Schools Foundation Fund.
Stella was deeply involved in her community. She served as treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Library for 25 years. She was a member of Beth Shalom Congregation and a member and past president of both Hadassah and the Temple Sisterhood. She served on the board of the East Liverpool City Hospital Auxiliary and was a member and past president of the Colonial Club.
On June 11, 1944, she married Dr. Norman Birnbaum. They shared 68 years of marriage before his death in 2012. They lived in East Liverpool until moving to Boynton Beach in 2005. In Florida, Stella remained active in Hadassah, the Grove Women's Club, and Brandeis University study groups.
Elegant, intelligent, and always well dressed, Stella treasured time spent with her many friends in Ohio and Florida and especially enjoyed playing bridge. She took great pride in her family and delighted in being a grandmother and great-grandmother.
She is survived by her son, Dr. Neal Birnbaum, and his wife, Linda, of San Francisco, California; her daughter, Nancy Greenspan, and her husband, Phil, of Chicago, Illinois, and Boca Raton, Florida; her granddaughters, Jennifer Birnbaum and Lauren Birnbaum Morris and her husband, Jay, all of San Francisco; and her great-grandchildren, Oliver and Lily Morris. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her brother, attorney Sidney Cornrich, of Cleveland, Ohio.
A memorial service and burial will be held at a later date in East Liverpool.
Memorial contributions may be made to the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association at elhsaa.com or to Tuition Mission, P.O. Box 458, East Liverpool, OH 43920. For contributions to Tuition Mission, please indicate "Birnbaum" on the memo line of any check.
11/2/26