Caroline Lindenmaier's Obituary
Caroline Lindenmaier, age 96, of Strongsville, Ohio, passed away on October 17, 2024. She was the beloved wife of the late Otto E. Lindenmaier. Caroline was born on March 22, 1928 to the late Stefan and Elisabeth Hetzel (nee Welker) in the ethnic German town of Neu Schowe (Novi Sad) in what was then Yugoslavia. She is survived by her loving daughters Ute Vilfroy (Tom, deceased), Evy Lindenmaier (Terri Hlad), her grandson Nicholas Vilfroy, and her sister-in-law Hertha Hetzel.
She is also survived by her loving nieces and nephews - Angelika Jensen (Lee), Werner Kunzi (Sonda), Peter Kunzi, Erich Hetzel (Sonja), Robert Hetzel (Julie), and Thomas Hetzel; as well as her nephew and niece in Germany, Dieter Lindenmaier (Marianne), and Doris Lohberger (Günther).
She was also preceded in death by her siblings – twins Helmut Hetzel (Hertha) and sister Hedwig Kunzi, and her brother-in-law Werner Kunzi.
Caroline was proud of her German and Donauschwaben heritage. She was a life-long member of the Cleveland Donauschwaben’s German American Cultural Center, serving in a variety of offices and positions there such as Recording Secretary, Cultural Chair on the national level, and was President of the Women’s Auxiliary (Frauengruppe) for more than 13 years. She also wrote numerous articles and press releases about the club’ activities and events which were published locally, nationally, and internationally in various newspapers. She was named German Woman of the Year in 2006 by the Federation of German-American Societies of Greater Cleveland, and was honored by the Federal Republic of Germany for her contributions in preserving the German language and culture in America.
However, in addition to her love and pride in her family, Caroline was most proud of her tenure, first as a teacher, and then as Principal of the German Language School of Cleveland. She retired after serving in that role for 37 years, turning over the reins to her friend and colleague Gerda Juhasz.
Caroline had come to America as a young wife and mother at the age of 24, with her husband, Otto and her two year-old daughter Ute. They settled in Cleveland where her daughter Evy was born two years later. She and her husband attended night school in Cleveland to improve their English, and she always prided herself on her English spelling abilities. Caroline was also a talented seamstress, like her mother, father and sister Hedwig. In America she quickly learned to sew window treatments, and worked in the drapery department for both Sears Roebuck and JCPenney‘s for many years.
Caroline loved gardening, and even in her later years, her house and deck were always filled with beautiful flowers. She was also a wonderful cook and loved to feed her family and guests, having been trained in a restaurant / bakery in Germany after WWII. She especially enjoyed teaching her grandson Nick how to make Spätzle the Swabian way.
While she was very pleased and proud to be remembered by her many German School students as “Frau Lindenmaier,” her greatest joy was being “Mutti” to Ute, Evy and Terri, and “Omi” to Nick, as well as “Tante Line” to her many nephews and nieces and their children and grandchildren. She was a wonderful woman who will be greatly missed by her family, former students, and many friends.
A visitation will be held on October 24, 2024, from 3pm-6:30pm at Westwood Abbey Mausoleum Chapel, 6265 Columbia Rd, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070, with a service to be immediately following at 6:30pm.
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