Gisela Maria Maucher Vitt's Obituary
It is with a sad heart that I share the news that my mother, Gisela Maria Maucher Vitt, passed away on Thursday, March 12.
She was born in Berlin in 1934, living in war-torn Germany with her mother, father and five sisters. The family was forced to move several times, finding refuge in Frankfort and Freiburg amongst other places. She focused on her education with an emphasis on foreign language and literary study during the mid- to late 1950s in Germany, England and France.
Upon completing her European ‘hochschule’, she ventured to the United States to focus on an advanced degree. She received a PhD in German from Washington University in St. Louis before moving to Columbus in 1964 to start a nearly 40-year tenure at The Ohio State University. She loved teaching and research and excelled in both academic and administrative roles. She became a Full Professor and worked as both Chairman of Comparative Studies and Chairman of the German Department before retiring in 1992.
At this point, she focused on her own life, writing a book about her personal history and those of her five sisters. She worked as a docent for nearly 20 years at the Wexner Center for the Arts. She was active as a eucharistic minister at Our Lady of Victory Church near her home in Marble Cliff. She ultimately moved to Powell, where she volunteered with the Preservation Parks of Delaware County.
At the center of her life was family and friends. She loved being a grandmother to Nolan and Avery and taking them to parks, playgrounds, movies and sports. She was a devoted friend to many co-workers and colleagues from her University and Wexner Center days. And she remained close to her relatives in Germany, France and the United States. She is survived by her son Mark, grandsons Nolan and Avery, and sisters Cornelia Schoenemann and Sabine Brackmann.
Please join us to celebrate her life and memory with a funeral mass on Monday, March 23 at 11:00 am at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Marble Cliff.
What’s your fondest memory of Gisela?
What’s a lesson you learned from Gisela?
Share a story where Gisela's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Gisela you’ll never forget.
How did Gisela make you smile?