Brattleboro Reformer
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Hedi Grob, a resident of Halifax, died peacefully in her home on March 20th. She was 95 years old, and will be laid to rest in the Halifax Center cemetery.
She was born Hedwig Vogel in Zurich, November 23, 1924 and enjoyed a Swiss upbringing in this beautiful lakeside city with distant views of the Alps. Growing up immersed in creativity, her father Heinrich was an inventor and accomplished painter; her grandfather Jacob a pioneering Alpine photographer; her grandmother Rosa costumer to the Zurich Opera.
Hedi finished her schooling and took an apprenticeship as a laboratorian at Hoffmann la Roche, leading to a fortuitous meeting with Ernest, her destined-to-be husband. In 1949 she bade her country farewell and joined Ernie in Summit, NJ, where began a long spell of children raising, welcoming Swiss visitors, and embracing the American way. Hedi never returned to live in Switzerland, though she visited often. As a piano teacher she brought music into her home and filled the air with her beloved Mozart, Schubert, and Bach.
Introduced by friends to the rugged hills of southeastern VT, with dirt roads and farms that reminded them of their native Switzerland, Hedi and her family began to enjoy the peace and solitude of the 'Farm' in Halifax, surrounded by nature and the quiet of a little-trafficked road and hilltop views towards Haystack. Many a Swiss friend came to marvel at the Fall colors, the 'beaver pond', and the red farmhouse.
Hedi brought joy to all with her ready smile, ever upbeat attitude, and an energy that endeared her to family and friends. Who said you can't carry firewood or climb steep stairs when you're 95?! Still, though she was a quiet and reflective person. She was a voracious reader...not a day passed that the bookmark didn't move ahead a chunk.
Hedi was predeceased by her husband, and is survived by her son Larry and his wife Ellen, of Weston, MA, son Doug of Halifax, five granddaughters: Susannah, Ashley, Carlie, Erika, and Anabel, and four great-grandchildren: Aliyah, Isaiah, Juelz, and Christopher. Her sister Trudi Oesch and brother in law, Kurt, live in Antrim, NH. A small service and burial will take place when Spring, and the virus let it be so.
Please consider giving in Hedi's memory to the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry, in Wilmington, serving those in need in her beloved corner of Vermont. You may do so by calling 802-257-0626, or by donating online at: www.deerfieldvalleyfoodpantry.org
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