She possesses a brilliant smile and greets everyone with a warm hello and a laugh. She carries herself with a soft-spoken sweetness and grace that was apparent in her interactions with those around her. She is always easy to spot in a crowded room—just look for her timeless Dutch boy hairstyle, always styled, always snow white. If you called her Mom, Grandmother, Great-grandmother, Oma, Omie, Aunt, Tante, Sister, Schwester or Friend, you were truly blessed indeed.
Ingeborg Johanna Kaethe Reitz Fairweather was born in Braunfels Germany on August 19th 1920. At age two, Inge knew she wanted to be a dancer. She loved to tell the story about how she climbed on top of the family piano as a toddler because it made a great stage for tap dancing. By age 5, Inge began formal training in classic ballet. Her first performance was for the King and Queen in Copenhagen; she was eight years old. She became a professional film starlet of the 1930s, and toured Europe as the Prima ballerina of the Oteros Brandel Ballet Company of Berlin.
Inge married US Army Sergeant First Class Kaiser Davis in 1955. By 1958, the couple moved with their two children Sonya and Raymond to Ft. Riley, Kansas United States before finally settling in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1962. Inge began working for Hewlett Packard with her sister Marianne, retiring after 15 years. She enjoyed her retirement immensely, travelling to Cairo, Egypt, the Holy Lands of Jerusalem, Madrid, Spain, Florence, Italy and the Virgin Islands.
In 1980, Inge remarried. She moved to La Isla Verde, Puerto Rico with her husband, US Army Major Ben Fairweather. Inge’s children and grandchildren, Inga and Adam, enjoyed years of family vacations with her and Grandpa Ben in their beachfront home, near historic San Juan.
After her husband Ben’s passing, Inge continued her passion for beach destination travel, moving to Puerto Angel, Mexico and later Huatulco, Mexico where she resided until 2013 relishing in the lifelong friendships made during her years there. Inge then made one last move to Texas, to live among her family, Sonya and husband John, Ray and wife Rena, her grandson Adam Phifer, granddaughter and namesake Inga Van Wagoner and husband John, and her 5 great grandchildren Nate King, Austin, Chase, Tyler and Montana Van Wagoner. In addition to her love for travel, Inge was an accomplished artist, and an avid animal lover. Her menagerie of pets included cats, show breed German Shepherds, Great Danes and Boxers, ferrets, squirrels, parakeets, parrots, eagles, flamingos, and the occasional lion cub and lynx. No creature great or small was immune to her charm; she was a true “Mother Nature.” Inge was a faithful member of the Rosicrucian Order and held the distinction of the first woman inducted into the prestigious Military Order of World Wars, an honor traditionally reserved for decorated officers of the US military.
Inge is loved and adored by her very large extended family and countless friends who were always excited to see her at holidays and family gatherings. Her greatest joy came from attending their plays, recitals, runway shows, soccer, football, and basketball games, gymnastics meets and “family dinners.” She made our lives rich and full of love, laughter, and treasured memories. Let her strength and spirit remind us to be more, to give more, and to love more. To our matriarch, thank you for blessing us with the timeless gift of your heart, your love, and your legacy.
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