GERTRUDE HABLUETZEL 30 June 1909 - 28 September 1986
Beautiful autumn days were given to us, days of maturity. It was on such a day that Gertrude's heart stopped. We had expected so little, what a shock for many! She left quietly, without being sick. Shortly before, she had told me with enthusiasm about her vacation in Tegernsee. She had her usual joie de vivre, looked healthy, but felt tired.
She knew how to enjoy life. She let her heart speak, as few people know how to do, which was not always without injury. She had many friends, in Zurich, Lucerne, Caux, Geneva, France and Germany. She also cared for me, and took care of my mother, when she was weakening. You don't forget such things.
Lately she has been thinking a lot about reconciliation. She had told me that she was praying insistently that each one of us would experience reconciliation with ourselves, with God, with others, no matter who we are or who we have been. She felt many things, often long before others, but never found it easy to express them.
What we experienced during the summer in Caux touched Gertrude a lot. She saw it as a gift from the Creator. It was the crowning and radiant conclusion of a life matured on this earth. But we will miss her in spite of everything.
Ruth Lauffer
French
