[1] Stenberg was born on 17 March 1903 in Tampere in the south-west of the Grand Duchy of Finland.

[1][2] She was the daughter of coachman Frans Oskar Stenberg and seamstress Hilma Aleksandra Pataniitty.

[1] As a child Stenberg joined Ihanneliitto, a social democratic youth organisation.

[2] The Etsivä keskuspoliisi (EK) secret police (also known as Ohrana) was brutal in its suppression of communism and torture was routine during interrogation.

[9][10] Following the defeat of the Finnish fascists by the Allies in 1944, the SKP was legalised and all political prisoners released in accordance with the Moscow Armistice.

[1] She was committee member of the Finnish Women's Democratic Union (Suomen Naisten Demokraattinen Liitto).