Wilhelmina Anna Wildfeuer

surrounded by loved ones, on Aug. 14, 2025. She was 93 years old. Mina was a lifelong fighter,

intrepid adventurer, and loving protector of her family. A creative and courageous soul, Mina

advocated for fairness for all, the environment, and the arts.

Born on February 26, 1932, in the former German enclave of Bruckenthal, Galicia (then Poland,

now modern-day Ukraine), Mina was the second daughter of Maria Roth and Anton Scheller.

Her early years were filled with happy family and cultural memories, beginning in her ancestral

village outside of Lviv, and then within the city limits, where she learned multiple languages.

Mina always spoke fondly of those early years, surrounded by a large extended family with roots

in the region since the 1700s. This life changed on the first day of World War Two. For Mina,

and millions of others, a six-year struggle for survival began. Through it all, while losing many

relatives and friends, her immediate family managed to escape harrowing situations, resettle in

refugee camps, and persevere after losing everything. The family migrated west, with Mina

recounting how she was among the last to make it into the American-controlled part of Germany

at the end of the war.

After the war, Mina, along with her two sisters Caecilia and Annemarie, and their parents,

eventually settled in Hamburg, Germany. Mina studied to be a teacher, briefly teaching before

her adventurous spirit led her to immigrate to America and start a new life in 1956. After a rough

journey by ship, Mina arrived in New York with a suitcase full of books and immediately went

west to a distant uncle's farm in North Dakota. She eventually found her paradise in Los

Angeles, where she befriended Elisabeth Wildfeuer, a St. Vincent Hospital co-worker who would

later become her sister-in-law. Mina convinced Elisabeth, and her brother Herb, to drive all the

way to Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina for fun. This trip became lore and many adventures took

place, including falling in love with Herb. The trip ended when the car broke down in Panama,

and upon returning to LA, Herb and Mina were married and started a family. In 1964, they

settled in their longtime home in Gardena for six decades, where they were active in the

community and their church for many of those years.

Mina was a supportive wife and loving mother of five children. She was a prolific author of five

books, including a poignant memoir (Odds Against Me). Mina was a lover of classical music,

with Beethoven or Mozart often playing in the background at home and was actively involved in

the church choir at St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic Church for many years. Mina loved art, with

her favorites being the German Expressionists (Der Blaue Reiter), recreating famous works on

the walls of her home. She was an avid reader, with Don Quixote among her favorites.

In her late years, Mina found solace in being able to remain at home as her dementia

progressed. Her family is very appreciative of her loving caregivers, including Mhudie, June,

Maria, Melody and others. She will be remembered for her love and strength by her children

Eva Maria, Thomas, Lisa Jones, Herbert M., Christin Geyer; their spouses Raquel Wildfeuer,

Julie Carlson, John Geyer; grandchildren Joshua, Gabrielle, Michael, Emma, Elise; family friend

Melvin Jones; and many more family members and friends. Her husband, Herbert Leo

Wildfeuer, preceded her in death in 2021.

Service followed by burial will take place on Saturday, September 6 at 10:00 am at Holy Cross

Cemetery in Culver City. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Alzheimer's

foundations to support those affected by this disease.