Hilde Koti

Hilde (Schmidt) Koti, 89, a resident of Norwalk, Connecticut since 1957, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2022 at home.

Hilde was born on February 17, 1933 in Steierdorf, Romania. At the age of 12, toward the end of WWII, fighting among the Russians and Germans broke out near her hometown and her family was forced to flee Romania. Traveling by horse and wagon to Austria, the family ultimately ended up in Germany where they spent 7 years in a German refugee camp. It was in Germany that Hilde met her husband, Stephen. In 1957, they emigrated to the USA with their infant daughter, and settled in Norwalk.

For the majority of her life Hilde was a homemaker, caregiver and chauffer. Hilde will be remembered as a wonderful cook, baker and maker of dandelion wine. The Koti home often served as a gathering place for family and friends.

Hilde is survived by her daughter, Sylvia Koti and her husband Brian Schaefer of Norwalk; two grandsons, Nicholas Schaefer (a traveling dinosaur trainer), Harrison Schaefer (who helped with his grandmother’s care) of Stratford, Connecticut; a granddaughter, Ilona Koti and two great-grandsons of Pollock Pines, California.

Hilde was predeceased by Stephen, her husband of over 60 years, and her parents Johann and Mathilde (Geiswinkler) Schmidt. Internment and services will be private.