Irmingard Babette Reichwein (née Lindner) was born October 29, 1929 in Munich, Germany to Franz X. Lindner and Maria Lindner (née Landsdorfer). She shared her early life with her younger sister Annemarie Lindner. Germany was in a time that was punctuated by economic and political upheaval leading to many tumultuous experiences during World War II. In spite of that, she attended the local Gymnasium and received her college education at the University of Munich. During the postwar occupation of Germany, Irmingard worked for the US Army providing stenographic and interpreter services in support of legal activities. In 1951, she emigrated to the U.S. with a new baby, Dolores. She met Navy Officer Fremont Easton Reichwein in southern California and they married on December 17, 1952 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the ensuing years, they welcomed four more children. During that time, Irmingard served as homemaker and mother at duty stations up and down the California coastline (Pacific Grove, Coronado, Port Hueneme), and Hawaii, where she became a naturalized US citizen in 1965. Irmingard was a significant presence amongst her peers as a leader of the Navy Wives Club. The family moved to Fort Washington, Maryland in 1971 for Captain Reichwein’s final military posting at the Pentagon. After Fremont retired from the Navy, he transitioned to the private sector for 20 more years. Irmingard spent a number of these years working as the school health aide at St. Mary’s of Piscataway Catholic School. During her life as a devoted wife and mother, Irmingard also traveled widely, enjoyed the theater and decorating, and gained a reputation as a superb chef and a marvelous hostess.
Irmingard Reichwein died on June 13, 2025 in Silver Spring, Maryland after a brief illness. She is survived by her children, Dolores Keyes, Manfred Reichwein (spouse Monica Radford), Monica Gaylord, Louis Reichwein (Kuo-Wei Wang), Kristl Webb (Christopher Webb); grandchildren, John, Jerry and Cassandra Keyes, Callie Gaylord, Olivia, Julia, Emilia, Jackson and Nate Webb; great-grandchildren Eva, David, Penny, Jared, Zachary, and Cassie Keyes, and Jacob Hixon; great-great-grandchildren Aiden, Parker, Owen and Josephine Keyes; and brother-in-law Thomas Van Sant and nephews Robert, Andrew and Christopher Van Sant.
A visitation for Irmingard will be held Friday, July 11, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904. Following the visitation will be a funeral service at 11:00 AM.
Irmingard is to be interred with her husband who passed from this life in 2004 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington DC.
