Ursula Heinrich (18 Feb 1932 - 16 Feb 2021)

In loving memory of Ursula Heinrich who sadly passed away on 16th February 2021

My mum Ursula, was born and grew up in Dessau in Germany. Although much of her childhood was coloured by the unrest of the Second World War she often talked with fondness about her early childhood memories and times spent with her grandfather who was a forest keeper, whom she loved dearly and her adventurous exploits with her childhood friend Lilo.

After the war, with Germany divided and Stalin in power, my mum and her friend Lilo decided to leave East Germany to seek a better life. On New Year’s eve a month or so before her 17th birthday, her and Lilo made the escape paying a local guide with loaves of bread to take them to the armed border crossing. Taking their shoes off so their footsteps could not be heard in the snow, they crossed under cover of darkness with the snow falling and ran towards a new life.

Ursula came to England to work in 1952 and after a spell of different housekeeping jobs started her training as a nurse at Redhill Hospital in Surrey, where she graduated with flying colours. My mum attributed her success to the fact that she had to learn everything twice – once in German and then in English. Her schoolgirl English rapidly improved helped by her weekly visits to the cinema and her love of reading. I know my mum felt so fortunate to find a country that she loved and felt safe in, and a profession that she felt so passionate about and which gave her so much fulfilment.

After her training, she moved to Emsworth to be closer to her friend Lilo. Living in a cottage close to the water’s edge she developed a love for the sea and sailing and often took a morning dip when the tide was high. Around this time, Ursula took British citizenship, started work at Queen Alexandra Hospital and moved to Portsmouth. It was here that she spent most her working life, first as a nurse working on the wards and then later with the organisation and planning of the new Queen Alexandra Hospital in 1978, the new Jubilee House in the 1980s, and then finally as Matron of St Christopher’s Hospital in Fareham.

In 1985 she took early retirement and worked voluntarily at the Portsmouth Records Office transcribing archival material. She loved history, reading and so much enjoyed having the time to pursue her interests such as gardening, cooking, silk painting and quilt making. My mum really loved life and always had a new project on the go.

Looking back, my mum was an incredible role model who was both wise and caring, but also great fun. She was always curious about things and had a love for life that she wanted to share. I have so many happy childhood memories of our outings and adventures together, her free-spirited nature, her compassion, integrity and determination to do things in the way she thought was right. She taught me kindness and how to enjoy and appreciate the things that are free in life. She always encouraged me to follow my interests, be true myself and to try not to worry too much about what other people thought.

Her granddaughters Freya and Anya also share so many good memories of times spent with their Gran making things, taking 'the ducks' for a swim and our family picnics outings to Droxford, Old Winchester Hill and the Weald and Downland Museum. My mum had a great sense of humour and would often have us all in stitches with the things she said or did, often with a twinkle in her eye.

My mum spent most of her retirement years living in Portchester and I know she loved the community of her neighbours and friends who have been such a support to her and us in recent years.

My mum nurtured her relationships with her extended family in Germany and it was lovely for her to reconnect with her half-sister Ruth after Ruth’s husband Horst made contact with her in the nineties after amazingly finding Ursula’s name and number on a Mormon CD in a second-hand shop! My mum loved to write letters and exchanged many over the years with Ruth and her family. Ursula very much cherished the memories of their visits and meetings with Ruth and Horst and their family Olaf, Stefan, Monika, Lenny, and Elisa.

We will so much miss her warm open smile, her laugh, her wise advice and strength of character, but her memory will live on in all of us.