Mrs. Geggel was born in Nuremberg, Germany. She was the loving daughter of Heinrich and Marie (Oppenheimer) Gutmann, beloved wife of 57 years of the late Carl Geggel, devoted mother of Susan and Leslie Lepow of Washington, D.C., Harry and Ann (Krasne) of Seattle, WA., and Robert and Karen (Brown) of Dover, MA. She was the cherished grandmother to Hannah, Thomas, Laura, Amelia (who predeceased her) and husband Eric Mattison, and Ezra, great-grandmother of Natalie, Audrey, Ari, Talia, and Abigail. She was an attentive aunt to Ruth and Peter Sohn. She was predeceased by her sister Lotte (Sohn) and husband Hans Sohn.
Her family moved to St. Gallen, Switzerland in 1931. In 1941 she left Europe via Spain to Cuba and in 1942 emigrated to the U.S. She earned a B.A. in 1945 from Hunter College and a M.S. in 1947 from Columbia University. She worked for many years as a social worker for Jewish Family Service in Philadelphia helping to settle Vietnamese and Russian Jewish immigrants and counseling many families. She was the family’s matriarch. She had great impact on many with her generous, warm and loving outlook and genuine concern for their welfare. She baked and knitted for the many who loved her. She had a positive view of life and stated that there always was something to look forward to.
Graveside services will be held at Lindwood Memorial Park, 497 North Street, Randolph, MA on Sunday, August 7th at 11:00 AM.
Remembrances can be made to The Blue Card (a fund to help Holocaust survivors), 171 Madison Avenue, Suite 1405, New York, NY 10016 or to The Amelia Geggel Environmental Scholarship Fund, Wesleyan University, Director Stewardship and Donor Relations, 291 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457.
