Renate Manthei (granddaughter), left behind by Hedwig Neumann, 72.
“I was 14 when we received the news that my grandmother had died. I remember being in the kitchen with my mother when she received the letter from Germany. Oma had died by suicide. It was so tragic. We had missed Oma when we immigrated to Canada. But we had been so pleased when Oma came to stay with us several years later. Our mother was suffering from TB and was sent to the sanitarium in Sudbury to recuperate. We all missed mom very much but it was so nice to have Oma come and look after us, especially after we left Germany in a big ship to cross the ocean. We thought we would never see her again.” After Mom returned home, the family tried to convince Oma to stay in Canada and live with us. But she refused. She couldn’t speak the language, she said, and couldn’t get used to Canadian ways at her age. We missed our grandmother. She had been the one to make all the clothes for our dolls and when she came over had even brought each of us three sisters — Irmgard, Renate and Marianne — a special doll, complete with a full wardrobe she had lovingly designed and sewn. When the news arrived that she had died by suicide, we were shocked. Who could ever conceive of such a thing? As a young girl, I could not fathom what would lead my grandmother to such a tragic end. She, who had always been such a solace, strength and support. As an adult, I have often wondered what led her to such a tragic act. Would it have been different if she had not been separated from the ones she loved by such a wide ocean? Was it fear of being alone? Or was there disappointment in her life that she had not shared with us? The unanswerable question is always there.”