Educator, humanitarian, musician, and animal-lover

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Ursula Hoff Stechow of Oberlin died on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at the age of 96, at the Kendal of Oberlin Health Center.

Ursula Hoff was born in Hanover, Germany on February 15, 1911. Her childhood was full of difficulties in a war-torn country, but she was always surrounded by music and an emphasis on education: she formulated friendships based on both music and education that would last a life-time. While studying medicine at the University of Goettingen, she met her future husband, Wolfgang Stechow, when he was conducting the university's orchestra in which she played violin. Wolfgang was both an art historian and an accomplished musician. They were married in 1932.

With their young son Hans-Axel they emigrated to the United States in 1936 when Dr. Stechow's career was threatened by the Nazi government. After four years in Madison Wisconsin where their daughter Barbara was born, the Stechows moved to Oberlin when Wolfgang became part of the college's Art History Department. Ursula earned a zoology degree from Oberlin College in 1942 and later took courses to earn a teaching certificate to teach French. Their daughter Nicola was born in Oberlin.

No one was less pretentious than Ursula. She treated everyone with equal respect, but also had equally high expectations of everyone, regardless of position or station in life. As a beloved French teacher at Langston Middle School in Oberlin, she was an inspiration for many young minds to pursue careers in teaching. She also taught French and her native German to other interested students of all ages.

Nobody understood the English language better than Ursula: her high expectations even for herself and her fine poetic command of three languages led many, including German writer Ernst Wiechert, to seek her help in the translations of books, articles, and musical texts. Her personal link to the humanitarian work of the Bonhoeffer family and others was also very much a part of her being.

Ursula's caring nature for animals, and for friends she helped through their elderly years, her recognition and sponsorship of talented musicians, and her commitment to the arts made her a beloved part of the Oberlin community. But nothing in life was more important to her than music: music was Ursula's soul. She enjoyed playing chamber music with family and friends and she was a “consumer” of fine music performed by others, sometimes critical but always understanding and appreciative. She loved and believed in Solfege as the basis for teaching and learning music.

Ursula was preceded in death by her husband, who died in 1974. She is survived by her son Hans-Axel (Norma) of Oberlin, daughters Barbara Harris (Bob) of Lansing Michigan, and Nicola Memmott (John) of Oberlin, nine grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and one great, great grandchild.

The family is planning a memorial service for sometime in the future. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute - Oberlin Conservatory of Music, 77 West College St., Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1588, the Oberlin Schools Endowment Fund, 153 North Main St., Oberlin, Ohio 44074, or OASIS Animal Shelter, PO Box 11, Oberlin, Ohio 44074-0011.