Harriet Heit Sandmeier

She was born in Ossining and grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. She did go inland for school (undergraduate Ohio University; graduate University of Michigan), and she spent a couple of years in Virginia. Other than that, Harriet’s was a life gratefully lived on the banks of the Hudson.

Harriet concluded her adventures two months short of her 90th birthday. For nearly all of that time, she began each day saying hello to the River. Harriet made her home, raised her children, and got into all kinds of good trouble in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. In Cornwall, Harriet met the great love of her life, Max Sandmeier. They married in 1983, enjoying a full and vibrant life until Max’s passing in 2025.

Harriet had a boatload of professional credentials and achievements. The unifying theme? She worked with, and for, organizations that helped people. Schools. Hospitals. Family service and mental health agencies. Churches. She dove into those roles full-on and without a life jacket, caring not whether the water was shallow or deep. She played the piano to make people happy. She volunteered in her community. She spoke up. (Yes, you can laugh at that one.) She protected those she loved, with ferocity.

Harriet is survived by her three children, Elizabeth Russell, Margaret Russell (Karen; daughter Carly), and Gregory Russell (Stephanie); three grandchildren, Raymond Koepcke, Joshua Russell, and Julia Russell; a beloved niece, Kimberly Heit (Dwayne); Kimberly’s daughter Korinne Woicehovich (Wilson); a nephew, David Heit; and her former husband, J. Thomas Russell. Harriet was predeceased by her parents, George and Ruth (Miller) Heit; by her brother, G. Edward Heit (and his wife, Fern); and by her husband, Max. The family wishes to thank Village of Cornwall first responders, and two very special friends who made it possible for Harriet to remain in her home and accept the River’s comforting presence until the very end.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Cornwall Presbyterian Church, 222 Hudson Street, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520 or to a charity of one’s choice.