Hedwig Barbara Haug

HER FAMILY Hedwig Barbara Haug was born in Peterstal, Heidelberg, Germany on May 5, 1935, and she died on Sunday, March 12, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. She was the daughter of Karl and Rosa Hug, from Peterstal and she had a brother, Karl. Her father and brother died when she was four and approximately two years later, her Mother married Leonhardt Gieser, a widower with five children. Three years later, her half-sister Helga was born. Living with six other children shaped Hedy’s love for family but also her ability to embrace change, reinvent herself and make decisions. Hedy had amazing memories of her beloved Germany including Kirchheim and Heidelberg, where the family lived after her mother remarried. She watched the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on a television that was in the window of an electronics shop, it started her lifelong fascination with the Royal Family. She walked the beautiful mountains and castle grounds with her friends and siblings. She also worked at a variety of jobs, such as stringing tobacco leaves in a factory, girl Friday in a beauty salon, and picking vegetables for farmers. All of this was to help keep the family going during World War II. Heidelberg was not bombed because it was the headquarters of the U.S. Army in Europe and NATO. However, she remembers sitting on the shoulders of her stepfather and watching the bombs falling in the distance all around them. Wartime children learn something about family and how fleeting it can be. When Hedy married Leo Schmidt, she became an Army wife and unsung hero, and she loved it! Meeting new people and traveling in the U.S. but also going back to Germany, was a wonderful benefit for the family. Her husband’s Texan family meant the world to her because they accepted her with warm loving arms, told stories about the family and taught her country cooking and how to speak English. Her love of family and friends was profound, and it never wavered, just as her love of the Lord stayed strong throughout her life. When her own children were born, Judy and Joseph Schmidt, she became the ultimate homemaker, there was order and style in the house, but it was completely wrapped in her high energy and love. In many ways she was a supermom, working multiple jobs, supporting kid’s extracurricular activities, sewing, driving paper routes, and always cooking delicious meals. HER HANDS Hedy had amazing hands. They were strong but creative hands. She loved cooking both German and American cuisine, keeping an immaculate house, gardening, and handicrafts such as knitting, embroidery, crochet, and artful table settings. Her cooking turned into a business, and she owned Parkway Café in Grand Prairie for twenty-four years with a partner, Little Hedy. She was a successful small business owner. The home cooking restaurant served thousands of customers delicious homemade biscuits and hand breaded chicken fried steak. When she sold the business and moved to Germany with her second husband Arno Kurt Haug in 1988, she continued using her amazing hands by working at the neighborhood deli in Pfaffengrund where she made beautiful and tasty salads. When neighbors brought her fruit from their trees, she would surprise them by baking something delicious and delivering it hot from the oven. This expression was not boastful or competitive, it was who she was. Excellence and beauty were her gift of love for God, herself, and the world. In the last four years of her life, she crocheted infant blankets and hats for William P. Clements, Jr. University Hospital’s Labor and Delivery while working with their amazing Volunteer Services and Spiritual Care and Support teams. She donated the blankets and hats for newborns. Additionally, she crocheted for the Neonatal ICU unit, for the tiny life that did not survive. Chaplains would take the delicately made blankets and give them to families as a token of love. She was lovely in all ways and devoted her hands to giving back to God in some small measure. She was a member of the Crochet Club at the Summit in Grand Prairie, the Purple Martin Landlords of North Texas, and the Arlington German Club for many years. HER DEVOTION When her husband died in 2012, she again reinvented herself and moved back to her beloved Texas. There was no question where she wanted to be because her children were in the bluebonnet state. She gathered us all around her and within her close circle of friends, many had already lost their Mother’s. It was the most natural of choices for Hedy to become “Mom” to all of us. She was social, warm, had a charming accent others liked to hear, she was open about her life, likes and dislikes. She enjoyed sharing the stories of her life to help others. Her highest level of devotion was to her children, letting them know they were forever in her heart and completely adored. HER PATRIOTISM It wasn’t just because she was an Army wife, it was the fact that she fell in love with the U.S. the minute she stepped foot on its soil. From getting lost in Dallas and having the Red Cross house her overnight, and then putting her on the right train the next day to Fort Hood, to laughing with businessmen at a San Angelo luncheon when she was named Ms. Germany, she loved the U.S. In the states, residents had everything to look forward to, they were happy, warm, and shared of themselves, and she finally felt included. In Texas, she learned about American history, the English language, the U.S. Constitution, and she felt the pride that a family who had settled in the Knickerbocker and San Angelo, Texas areas felt but also the rich heritage of Germany and she conveyed this to her children. Hedy studied hard and became a U.S. Citizen in 1962 in Abilene, Texas. It was a joyous occasion and she never faltered in her love for America, the flag, patriotic music, and this vast continent that provides so much opportunity. She always decorated with flags for July 4th and Veterans Day. Freedom in all forms was important to her. Her ability to learn and reinvent herself never ceased to amaze us. Since her return from Germany in 2015, she learned all about football and was a devoted Dallas Cowboy fan. In fact, she created her own language to understand the game and even had nicknames for the players. Her beauty, strength, charm, and personality always shining through. _______________ The children of Hedy Haug would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to the medical professionals who provided her with the highest quality medical care and support, plus friendship and love: Dr. Craig Whitcomb, Family Medicine, and his staff in Grand Prairie; Dr. Lafaine Grant and her staff, associate professor in the UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Department of Internal Medicine in Dallas; and Dr. Thomas Koshy, Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center for interventional cardiology in Dallas. Hedy is survived by her daughter, Judy Schmidt; son and daughter-in-law, Joseph and Monica Schmidt; grandson Ryan Schmidt and wife Cary; niece Su Ann Henderson and her husband Joe of San Angelo; nephew Milton Bennet and wife Kathy of San Angelo; nephew Charles Bennet and his wife Linda of North Richland Hills; and extended family in Texas and in Germany. The L.C. Searcey family have been friends and neighbors for over fifty years adopting Hedy and her family long ago. We wish to also acknowledge long-time friends Evelyn Johnstone and her daughter-in law, Margaret Johnstone of Dallas; Judy Teames of Dallas; and Mary Ayala of Irving. “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend,” John 15:13 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. The following services will be held in honor of Hedwig (Hedy) B. Haug on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Moore Funeral Home, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76015: Celebration of Life from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Chapel Service from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00, a.m., Committal Service from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Moore Memorial Gardens, Reception to follow from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Moore Funeral Home. "We love because he first loved us." I John 4:19 Serving as pallbearers are Charles Bennet, Milton Bennet , Russell Searcey, Darrell Addington. Serving as Honorary Pallbearers are Joseph Lee Schmidt and L.C. Searcey. Hedy loved flowers and had an amazing green thumb. However, if you want to send a Tribute Gift to UTSW or donate to Genesis Women’s Shelter in lieu of flowers, she would be honored by that, too.