Dr. Hildegard W. Timberlake Ph.D.

February 7th, 1923 – November 19th, 2023

Hildegard Maria Bernadine Weber Timberlake, age 100, was born in Bredeney - Essen, Germany, to her parents Wilhelm Weber and Bernhardine Wilhelmine (Budde) Weber. Hildegard peacefully entered eternal life at her wonderful Deerfield home in Bogart, Georgia, where she and her family have lived for 60 years. Left to cherish her memory are her son and best friend Tommy Timberlake of Bogart, Georgia; son Christopher (Sandra) of Las Vegas, Nevada; her stepdaughter Megan (Ken Thompson) of Richmond, California; her stepson David (Maureen) of The Woodlands, Texas; and stepdaughter-in-law Elecia Lee Timberlake of Colorado Springs, Colorado, widow of Hildegard’s stepson Richard “Dick” Timberlake. Hildegard is also survived by German relatives; her nephew Ludger (Annegret) Weber of Essen, Germany; her nephew Thomas (Stefan Kornmacher) Weber of Kiel, Germany; her nephew Ferdinand (Monika) Weber of Munich, Germany; and Monika Weber, widow to nephew George Weber of Muhlheim, Germany; and grandnephew Julian (Viktoria) Weber-Gatzweiler of Essen, Germany, and many grandnieces and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard “Tim” Timberlake; her stepson, Richard “Dick” Timberlake; her brother, Wilhelm Weber; her nephew, George Weber, and her parents.

Hildegard grew up on a farm in Bredeney, Germany, where she enjoyed the outdoors, and lived next to a tennis club where, at 12 years old, she learned the sport of tennis, and enjoyed it with family and friends for the next six decades.

World War II brought severe hardships in Germany resulting in the loss of life of several close friends. She and her parents suffered through years of worry while her brother, Willy, was a prisoner of war for five years in Russian Siberia. Hildegard was tough and survived interrogation by the Nazi Gestapo and later welcomed the return of her brother home as a freed POW. Ironically, during WW II, Hildegard’s future husband “Tim” piloted U.S. B-17 bombers over Germany.

Hildegard loved the visual arts in her youth, and everything seemed to gear her toward a profession in the arts as she was growing up; however, the war forced other priorities. Graduating from The Oberlyzeum School in Bredeney qualified her for admittance to college. After the war, an academic career path seemed a better choice to her given the post-war circumstances. Considering the limited conditions after the war, including the “numerous clauses” of international restrictions placed on Germany, Hildegard was accepted to the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelm University in the capital city of Bonn, and studied agricultural economics to earn her Ph.D. Her study was guided by professors of high eminence and profile grading her dissertation as “Summa Cum Laude”. Hildegard functioned as the liaison between the Institute for Agricultural Policy and Marketing Research and eighteen other research entities. In that capacity she formed a library for research that enabled better use of resources for all the academia and institutes. Hildegard was instrumental in guiding doctorial students in the field of Economic Development. The students had global origins coming from Oxford, Ghana, Kabul, Afghanistan, and Frankfurt.

Her research was particularly devoted to the Common European Market, forbearer of the European Union, and its problem as a political entity. Hildegard was invited twice to the United States for academic research as a fellow of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and worked to improve the readability of scientific findings and data by the layman farmer. On her first visit to the U.S. in February 1955, she came on The Queen Mary sailing through a major nor’easter with winds of 80 mph and 40-foot seas and, after landing in New York, she had to pass through a longshoreman’s strike, which provided an interesting welcome to America. On her second visit in 1958, she spent a year as a research fellow at the University of Chicago working with such notable economists as Friedrich Hayek and Theodore Schultz. Her results were published in the United States and Germany. Near the end of her study at the University of Chicago Hildegard met her husband, Richard “Tim” Henry Timberlake, who was studying the history of monetary economics.

Hildegard and “Tim” married in Germany in 1960 and on their return to the United States, Hildegard was at once: a new immigrant, a new wife, and a new stepmother to “Tim’s three wonderful children, Megan, 8, David, 12, and Dick, 14. Shortly thereafter, she and “Tim” had two sons, Chris in 1961, and Tommy in 1963. Hildegard took keen interest in the family’s activities and studies of linguistics, business, economics, geography, meteorology, aviation, and tennis.

She was a loving wife to “Tim” and often helped him in reviewing and evaluating his academic and professional work as an extra set of eyes whilst giving him an occasional “course correction” on occasion in his “classic” car hobby purchases. She also taught “Tim” how to play tennis. So well, in fact, that he almost defeated her once in a close 3-set match.

Hildegard as a parent sacrificed her professional career for the more valuable career of Motherhood. Her and “Tim”’s investment in the 5 children would pay handsome dividends. All the children can proudly say they can think critically and embrace rigor of thought thanks to their upbringing; for critical thought was respectful in the household as all members practiced challenges and defense in our lively debates.

Hildegard and “Tim” helped sons Tommy and Chris evolve into competitive tennis players, taking them to junior tennis tournaments during the summers, as she and “Tim” fed countless buckets of balls to them enabling them to become decent tennis players.

Hildegard epitomized the American dream eventually becoming a US citizen on December 9th, 1986. She fully abided by her Naturalization Oath of Allegiance and upheld the U.S. Constitution and had faith in the Commissioning Oath her sons swore to upon entry into military service; the Marines for Tommy and Air Force for Chris. She was a proud “enabler” for sons Tommy and Chris in their dream to become military pilots. Tommy piloting the AV-8B Harrier and F-16C block 52 (S.C.A.N.G.) and Chris the KC-135 and E-4. Each son served over 20 years military service and now, she would be proud to say, are flying with Delta Air Lines for Tommy and Northwest / Emirates / NASA’s S.O.F.I.A. / Southwest Airlines for Chris. Hildegard bravely flew as Tommy’s first passenger when he earned his private pilot’s license in college.

She was a devout and lasting member of Saint Stephens Anglican Catholic Church in Athens, engaging Bishop Haverland and Father Nick with interesting discussion. Once the house was an empty nest, Hildegard enjoyed hobbies of art, tennis, and volunteerism. She was a longtime member and past President of the Athens Art Association, a docent liaison at the Georgia Museum of Art, a friend of the Lyndon House Art Center in Athens, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation. She also prided herself on entrepreneurship, starting her own business specializing in growing bromeliad and succulent plants in her greenhouse and selling them to the “Big G” Department Store. She also found much reward in teaching German to students at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

As time passed, she returned to the arts, which she left when raising children dominated her life. Painting on marble tiles gave her new incentives together with a growing interest in Asian culture. Her love and practice of Tai Chi helped mitigate the disability of her 2007 stroke and she switched hands to hold her art brush in the left hand instead of the right to enable her to continue to paint. Even when blinded in her right eye, she still found the desire and stamina to produce lovely art. She was not a quitter.

During that period late in life Hildegard’s generosity enabled the professional restoration of beautiful paintings by the late local artist Mary Jett Franklin. These five Tunisian series paintings are now at the Georgia Museum of Art. Hildegard was proud to follow through on a nearly 20-year goal of permanently preserving these great paintings.

She kept close bonds to her family in Germany. She and “Tim” travelled several times across the Atlantic to keep Timberlake–Weber family relations strong. This strong international family relationship is ongoing.

On February 7th, 2023, she celebrated her 100th birthday in grand style with nearly 80 guests from near and far. Hildegard’s many friends included wide circles from her neighborhood, art, tennis, academia, and caregiving. Some friends knew her for years, others only a few months; but everyone feels we knew her only too briefly. She was tremendous at both making and maintaining friendships.

Hildegard’s generosity continues after her passing: she has donated her body to the Medical College of Georgia for the benefit of medical students and teachers. Even after passing, Hildegard continues to lead and teach for the betterment of other people.

The family would like to thank all who provided support in her latter years, especially her son Tommy, friend and caregiver Jessica Martin, friends Dr. Al and Dr. Crissy Santora, Dr. Jiafang Chen, Dr. Baker Hubbard, Dr. Lee Chisolm, and many caregivers turned friends including Crystal, Jacob, Janet, Joan, Linda, Madison, Margaret, Penny and Whitney. The family also thanks Hildegard for having the wherewithal to provide a framework for her obituary years prior to her passing. Writing her own obituary and living her life to it displays what a great lady she was.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 13, at 1:00 p.m., at St. Stephen’s Anglican Catholic Church, 800 Timothy Rd., Athens, Georgia.

Arrangements are in the care of Bernstein Funeral Home, Athens.

We were blessed to have Hildegard for 100 years. She loved her family and was beloved in return.

Although Hildegard loved flowers, please, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to any of her favorite charities: St Stephen's Anglican Catholic Church, Athens Art Association, The Cato Institute, Georgia Museum of Art, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Kids Playing for Kids Charity, Lyndon House Arts Foundation, The Mises Institute, UGA Swimming Program, or the UGA Tennis Program.