Colette Schaefer (born Berget), of Croton-on- Hudson passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She was born on May 3, 1922 in Erstein, France. She was 101 years of age.
Colette was, in a word……remarkable! Our mother lived a remarkably long life, highlighted by boundless enthusiasm and passion. Over 80 years ago she fled France for Montreal, Canada narrowly escaping the rapidly approaching Nazi forces while bridges were literally being blown up right after she had passed over them. She was one of the bravest, smartest and most beautiful women any of us had ever had the honor to know and love. She was in many ways a woman ahead of her times, starting her own lighter company in the early 1950’s, when few women ever thought of running their own company…she was fearless!
But her real strength and talent shined through when she became the wonderful mother of her four children, Philippe, Sandy, Nicole and Marc. She provided us with a loving warm home and some of the best meals one could ever ask for. She was amazingly resilient no matter what life threw at her. She tragically lost her dear husband of 23 years, Freddy, over 46 years ago, but bravely soldiered on becoming a grandmother and great grandmother many times over.
She enjoyed dancing, knitting, cooking and simply being with her family. She was particularly adored by her grandchildren, whom she deeply loved. She possessed a unique yet marvelous sense of humor, although, as her late husband Freddy would say, she butchered every joke she attempted to deliver.
Her life was never as easy as we would have liked, and even her death was a challenge as she simply refused to go quietly into the night. Amazingly, 6 hours before her departure, she awoke from her drug induced coma, to enjoy some chocolate Haagen Dazs ice cream, lovingly served to her by her adoring grandchildren Kyra and Ben.
She did have a fear of dying alone, which was beautifully put to rest when most of her family was holding her during her final moments, speaking words of love and adoration.
She most assuredly will be greeted and welcomed by all the many family members who passed before her. She is now in a much better place, but we will maintain a coveted place in our hearts for all eternity.
She is survived by her cherished children, Phil, Sandy, Nicole (Mark Shapiro) and Marc; her grandchildren, Jacob (Taylor Post), Ben, Kyra, Andy, Luc, Stephanie (TJ Carling), Michelle (Stephano Biello), Josh; her great grandchildren, Savanna, Cameron, Sebastian, Steven and Madison, and many extended family members both here and in Israel.
She was predeceased by her incredibly devoted husband Fred (“Freddy”) Schaefer in 1977, and loving daughters-in-law, Eileen (2016) and Ruth (2022) Schaefer .
Contributions in Colette’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
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