St. George, Utah - My mother, Eva E South, returned to her Heavenly Father after a short illness on March 15, 2014. She was born in Berlin, Germany, on March 24, 1924 and was christened Eva Emma Schulz. Her father, Siegfried Schulz, was a well known composer/conductor and her mother, Salome Lindeke, was a well known stage actress who began her stage career at age five. My mother and her brother, Peter, were both gifted children, but endured a difficult childhood. Their father, Siegfried, was a difficult and fiery man with a bigger than life personality and one who loathed the regime they were forced to live under and since he made no bones about how he felt about the current regime, he exposed his family to the dangers of the Hitler "ideology". For one thing, Salome Lindeke was half Jewish. Her father was Aryan and her mother Jewish. Since Siegfried had nothing but distain for, as he called him, "Herr Hitler", it was soon apparent that it would be best to leave their beloved home country. So, in order not to arouse suspicion, the family set out with only one suitcase each and pretended to go on vacation to the Austrian Alps. Siegfried asked his friends to take care of their house while they were gone. He knew things were not looking good, but he nevertheless figured to return to his home town which of course, did not happen. As the war gained momentum the friends in Berlin could not longer care for their friend's home and since everything, including the Steinway Grand Piano, was left to fend for itself and, needless to say, when the Russians swarmed into Berlin, EVERYTHING they possessed was raided and taken. Siegfried and his family sat out the war in the upper Tirolian Alps. Even though the tiny sect softlinevillage of Worgl was remote and relatively unknown, as Germany was being driven further and further back, the area near that village was used to house POWs among which were French. English and American soldiers. Amazingly, Siegfried was able to shield the two women of his family, from any overactive GI interest. Both his wife and daughter were beautiful women and with that in mind he marched right over to the American Commander and explained the situation and was granted protection. In return he entertained the troupes by giving piano concerts. As the war was gradually coming to an end and things wore down, Siegfried managed to get permission to travel to Berlin. No one else was able to go, but he was! By then I was about five years old and my father, a French POW, was back in France. Oddly enough, my father gave my mother his correct address, but she never contacted him. She felt deserted and abandoned. They did not meet again until 1975 at which point I had made it my mission to find him. Using the address he gave her all those years ago, low and behold, there he was, at THAT address! I contacted the American Embassy in Bordeaux, France and they called him and told him I was looking for him. Not long after that I had a letter from him and not long after that I flew to France to meet him. Strange! Everything seemed so, well, surreal somehow. In any case, my mother sort of stood at the sidelines, listening, observing and thinking her thoughts about the past, present and future. My mother was never one to share her private thoughts and feelings, but I'm sure that this development with my father must have created a great deal of turmoil in her.

My meeting with my father was interesting. Somewhat strained, but still good in a way. It's difficult to explain. Needless to say, his current wife was not overjoyed at my arrival. Neither were his other two children, my half sister and half brother. Still, he made an effort to make me feel welcome and comfortable. After I left Europe and went back home to California, we continued our correspondence for a time, but then it slowed down and eventually ended. My mother, who came to Europe in 1975 to see him, never really discussed any of this with me, but then, as I said, she was never one to discuss anything in depth, particularly not if it was something painful. Going back, eventually the family moved to Salzburg, Austria and my mother went to work at the American Field Hospital where she met my soon to be step father. They were a total mismatch! My step father came from a ranch in Texas and not knowing much of anything and my mother came from Berlin, a highly sophisticated city and a family who only knew music and theater. The twain would never meet. They were married for a time and then divorced and my mother never married again. Oh, not for want of offers, she just had enough. Eventually her mother, my grandmother, came to the US to join us and live out her days here with her daughter and granddaughter. Her brother, my uncle stayed behind in Salzburg, Austria and worked for Porsche until his retirement. He was never a happy man. Some people do not do well in the killing fields of war and he was one of them. He never quite recovered the horrors he was forced to witness. He too, married and divorced and then died alone in Salzburg. I too, married and divorced. It seems to be a pattern. In 2008 we moved from California to St George, Utah and this is where the story ends.

My mother was a strong believer in the Lord God and of course, His son, our Lord Jesus. She had a beautiful voice and years ago used to sing solos in the church we attended. She had an enormous love of all creation, especially for horses. She rode dressage and could clear any hurdle with her horse. She also won a horse race once! She had a magnetic personality and people automatically gravitated to her. She always appeared to be happy and joyful, but in fact, deep inside she suffered from what the Germans call, "Weltschmerz", meaning, the pain of the world. She couldn't seem to shake that. But now we know she is in a much, much better place. No more "Weltschmertz", no more pain. Just peace. And we thank our Heavenly Father for all He has done for us here on this earth.

As her only daughter, I will miss her, but I know I will see her again one day. Bye mom! Enjoy the peace of our Heavenly Father and His son, our Lord Jesus.

With much love, Your daughter,

Renee


A memorial service will be held Friday, March 21, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. at the Bouineau & South Home, 3330 Fairway Road, St. George, Utah.