Claudia Sternbach updates readers on her life as a widow, 17 months after she lost her husband to cancer. She spent a year mourning and now has rented out her Aptos home and moved to New York.
Claudia Sternbach
Claudia Sternbach has lived in Santa Cruz for almost four decades and from 2022 to 2025 was a Lookout columnist. In 2023, she chronicled the sudden illness and then February 2024 death of her beloved husband of 40 years, Michael. She is the author of three memoirs, “Now Breathe” (Whiteaker Press), “Reading Lips” (Unbridled Books) and “Dear Goldie Hawn, Dear Leonard Cohen” (Paper Angel Press) and has also written columns for many newspapers, including the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She now lives in New York City.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
On the one-year anniversary of my husband’s death, I have decided to retire from writing
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach has decided to end her biweekly column, which started in 2022 as a look at aging in Santa Cruz and morphed into a moving chronicle of grief when her beloved husband, Michael, died of cancer at age 65. Michael died Feb. 25, 2024, and over 12 months, Sternbach has graciously invited readers to share her most vulnerable moments – alone in bed at night, gathering courage to join friends for the holidays, screaming in the shower. Now, she says, after so many words, it’s time to be “quiet for a while.” She needs space to think and travel and see where her journey of one takes her.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Crying in Costco: Hearing aids are part of getting older — why was I weeping during my exam?
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach broke down in tears while getting hearing aids last week. Here, she gently unpacks the moment and reminds us of the loneliness of living as a widow. Her husband died 11 months ago and she has been chronicling her journey.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
My daughter and grandson had to evacuate during the L.A. fires – we are all one when it comes to worrying about fire risk
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach’s daughter and grandson live 10 miles from Altadena and had to evacuate during the fires that started Jan. 7. Sternbach watched the tragedy unfold on TV and on her phone and felt powerless to help her small and only remaining family. She lost her husband to cancer last February and has been considering moving to be closer to them.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I started the New Year floating in a Palm Springs pool at midnight talking to my late husband
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach knew the first holidays without her husband, Michael, who died of cancer in February, would be difficult. So, she booked a stay in Palm Springs for herself, her daughter and grandson. Here, she describes the iconic desert, its purple mountains and modern homes, how she released her anger through matches of air hockey with her grandson and how she found peace in the warm waters of a backyard pool.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why it’s worth it to get out of bed and join the holiday fun, even when you don’t feel like it
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach had to gather all her strength to attend a holiday party last week. The party fell on the first anniversary of her husband Michael’s cancer diagnosis and close to 10 months since his death at 65. The warmth and kindness she encountered lifted her spirits and reminded her of the joy of new life and the holiness of living.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Stay or go as a widow? Majority of readers advised me to remain in Santa Cruz – here’s what I heard
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach, a widow since February after her husband’s sudden cancer diagnosis and death, is trying to decide if she should stay in the house they created together over 40 years or move somewhere else to start fresh. She has been considering Los Angeles, where her daughter and grandson live. Two weeks ago, she asked for advice from readers and close to 200 responded. She unpacks that advice here.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Hey, widows and widowers: Should I stay here in my beloved Aptos home or move on, create something new?
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach unexpectedly lost her husband to cancer in February. She loves her Aptos home, but wonders if she should sell it and move closer to her daughter in Los Angeles. Will moving to a new place help her start over or make her feel unmoored? She ponders aloud and asks the community for help.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I gave up my NYC dream amid a sea of MAGA hats; all of it is hard
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach is not a fan of newly reelected president Donald Trump. Currently sick with COVID-19, she recently returned from New York City, where she sold the studio apartment she had dreamed of living in when her husband retired. He died of cancer in February at age 65, after being diagnosed in December.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I have a new sous-chef: His name is Trader Joe, and he’s helping me learn to cook as a widow
Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach is learning to cook for herself with the help of Trader Joe’s frozen food section. She is doctoring pastas and sauces and mixing in loads of super greens. She’s also navigating a table for one – and occasional dinners with her fellow widows.