Stephanie “Sunshine” Ann Mallaro, 48, of Dubuque passed away peacefully on January 27, 2024 in her home, surrounded by her family, music, and teddy bears.

A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday February 1, 2024 at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road. Friends and family may visit from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday January 31, 2024, as well as from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, both at the funeral home. Burial will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Stephanie was born on June 8, 1975 to Roderic and Barbara Mallaro. She saw the world differently than others and touched the lives of every person she met. Stephanie grew up in Rochelle, Illinois and graduated from Byron high school in 1996. She played basketball, loved bowling, and participated in the Special Olympics for many years where she received numerous medals and ribbons. Our Sunshine was a member of the Village of Progress in Oregon, IL for several years before moving back to her hometown of Dubuque, IA in 2000. She spent her first few years back working at ARC, and more recently attended Cozy Corners where she enjoyed singing, dancing, and making many friends and memories. Stephanie loved spending time with her family and traveled all over the country on family vacations, visiting Colorado, Virginia, Florida, and Tennessee. Her favorite trips were always the family time spent at the cabin in Wisconsin. She was a pure soul who loved to color, play Yahtzee, do puzzles, play with her stuffed animals, and listen to music.

She was truly an angel on Earth who will be missed beyond measure by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her innocent heart. Survived by her mother Barb Mallaro, sister Nina (Megan) Mallaro, nephews Michael (Tessa) Finn and Matthew Long, her new great niece Ava Nicole Finn, as well as many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

She will be greeted in Heaven by her father Roderic Mallaro (1984) and her sister Nicole Long (2021).

A special thank you to the Hospice of Dubuque nurses, especially Jessica, for their love and care of Stephie on her journey home. As well as a thank you to all of her staff over the years, including everyone at Hills and Dales who cared for her and helped give her the life she so deserved. With an extra special thank you to Alex, Lisa, Jasmine, Melissa, and Hailey. And finally a special thank you to Bob, Mariko, and the staff of Cozy Corners for giving her a place to attend that filled her with so much love and happiness.

When it was found out what Stephanie was going through, her message for her Mom, family, and friends was, “Don’t worry bout a thing because every little thing’s gonna be okay.”