During World War II, Sterne was a member of the 25th General Hospital Division and served in England, France, and Belgium.
After the war, Stere settled in North Avondale, Cincinnati with her husband.
Sterne was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971 and served continuously until 1998 with the exception of a two-year hiatus.
A member of the Charter Party, she was Cincinnati's second female mayor, after Dorothy N. Dolbey.
Bobbie died on November 22, 2017, in Santa Cruz, California, five days before her 98th birthday.