Hildegard Margaret White

Hildegard Margaret White (née Rotter), always eager for a new adventure, embarked on her final journey on September 3, 2024. She is survived by her four children, Terry Brandl, Mary Cook, Shari Cushman, James White, their spouses, her eleven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. 

Born in Ostrov, Czechoslovakia on July,15, 1932, Hildegard’s early childhood was witness to the German Occupation of her country and to the travesties of World War II. During that time, she was displaced from her hometown, separated from her parents, and forced into a refugee camp with her younger sister, Trudi, and her grandmother. Eventually, together, they made their way to Germany. Having grown up in a German-speaking family, at twelve years of age she found work in Bavaria to help support her family, but stability and a promising future were unlikely in post-war Europe. It was during this time when Hildegard’s adventurous spirit led her to a decision that would shape the rest of her life: she decided to move to America.

At eighteen years old, without knowing any English, and only possessing a secondhand verbal promise for work in Colorado, Hildegard sailed to a new continent on an old naval ship and became a nanny for a family in Denver. She often chuckled when recounting that she and the toddler learned English at the same time and pace. Her strong love for learning and a voracious appetite for reading motivated her to faithfully read the daily newspaper, which is how she learned to read and write in English. Before long, her language skills were good enough to not only thrive in Denver, but to also flirt with the young Al White, who she met at a dance and eventually married in 1956. 

By this time, Hildegard was adept at seeking out formidable challenges that carried with them beautiful rewards. Most indicative of this characteristic was motherhood. She and Al had four children, whom she managed to nurture and raise while also hosting numerous social gatherings, volunteering as the Girl Scout and Great Books leader, and taking an active role in the PTA. She even still made time for camping adventures in the family Winnebago. As the children entered their teens and no longer needed her full attention, she devoted many hours to volunteering for non-profit organizations and for exploring the arts. She worked in the art business for many years, including owning her own gallery.

When her children grew up and moved out of the house, they had children of their own. The grandchildren affectionately called her “Oma”, German for grandma. Oma cared for an ailing “Opa”, Al, until his passing in 1997. When she found herself in an empty house, it was not long before a call to new adventure grabbed her attention and she decided that, like that eighteen-year-old who left Europe, she was ready to again travel the world. Over the span of fifteen years, Hildegard traveled to over fifty countries, and often to far flung corners of the world. She went on safaris in Tanzania and Zambia, walked the base of the Great Pyramids of Giza, navigated the chaotic streets of Caracas with her daughter and granddaughter, and ate outré delicacies in many a Chinese city. She even recruited each of her grandchildren to accompany her for their own, personalized adventure. Her energy was inexhaustible. During her travels she absorbed lessons on culture, language, history, and philosophy, and shared her wisdom with the new acquaintances she met along the way. 

Amazingly, her time away did not reduce in the slightest the relationships she cultivated at home. Hildegard was an attentive and generous mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. And she was extremely popular. In the interim between trips abroad, she was the hostess of myriad parties, both at her house on Bellaire Street and later in her apartment near the Botanic Gardens. Often the guests were both people she had known for years and friends she had made that afternoon — a waiter from the restaurant she ate at the night before, a young boy that came into her art gallery, a homeless woman who needed work. Hildegard had the unique ability to make everyone she interacted with feel deeply loved. And, in turn, she was loved deeply by all of those that she welcomed into her life. 

Her final party was in July, celebrating her 92nd birthday. Though she was frail, she still donned an elegant outfit and meticulously curated jewelry and met guests who spanned four generations, and all had a uniquely meaningful relationship with her. That afternoon she smiled and took pictures with guests and family and held her great-grandchildren close to her. She had predicted that this would be her final birthday celebration, and those of us attending ensured that we celebrated her long and inspiring life.

On September 3, Hildegard peacefully achieved her desire to “fly away” (as she liked to say) in the company of her two daughters. In the weeks prior, she had been visited by her family and friends, all wanting to continue to soak in her loving energy before she had to “fly away” for this final adventure. Hildegard will be greatly missed for the wisdom and support she generously shared, the lasting impact she had on all those she met but, most importantly, for the attentive and unconditional love she gave each and every one of us.