Greenson, Hildegard "Hildi"
The world grew a bit colder on February 28, 2013 when Hildegard "Hildi" Greenson - the widow of psychoanalyst, author, and UCLA professor Dr. Ralph Romeo "Romi" Greenson, beloved mother, devoted grandmother and a rock in many lives - died of pneumonia. She was 99.
Born Oct. 21, 1913 in Bern, Switzerland as the second of two children to Dr. Ernst Troesch and Martha Rohrer, Hildi met Romi, a young medical student from New York City, while he was studying in Bern and participating in a dinner plan her mother had established for foreign students. They followed their hearts. Hildi, barely 21 years old, left her tiny homeland and followed him to the vast and unfamiliar USA, which suited her. They married in 1935 and ultimately made their home in Santa Monica, where they raised two children, Joan and Daniel, hosted salons attended by world leaders and thinkers in many fields, luminaries from the sciences and the entertainment industry, conducted psychoanalytic seminars, and held numerous dinner parties, weddings, and receptions for friends and family. The Greenson home became a haven for exchanging ideas and a refuge for all from the world's cold winds. An insightful, inquisitive and generous woman, Hildi had a passion for justice and beauty which found expression in her paintings.
Hildi Greenson is survived by her daughter, Joan Greenson Aebi, son-in-law Dr. Andreas Aebi; daughter-in-law psychoanalyst Barbara McSwain, widow of Daniel Peter Greenson, MD who died in 2012; grandchildren, David Greenson, Dr. Jessica Greenson Collett, Dr. Nikolas Greenson, Thadeus Greenson and Katie Aebi Rodriguez; and great-grandchildren Levi, Kaitlyn, Aiden, Logan and Opal; plus legions of friends of all ages throughout the world who felt she was "the mother they never had."
In honor of Hildi, an endowment fund has been established in her name at The Santa Monica College Foundation, to support the Emeritus College art programming that she enjoyed for so many years and where her art blossomed.
Contributions may be made to:
Santa Monica College Foundation
The Hildi Greenson Art Fund
1900 Pico Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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Published in the Los Angeles Times on Apr. 20, 2013
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