Brigitte Gerda Twomey King

Brigitte Gerda Twomey King died peacefully on April 8, 2026, at the age of 94.

Brigitte was born 1931, in Kronstadt (present-day Brașov, Romania), into the Transylvanian Saxon German community. As a young child, she moved with her parents to Berlin just months before the outbreak of World War II. Her early years were marked by discrimination, displacement, scarcity, separation from her parents during Allied bombings, and deep uncertainty.

The hardships she experienced stayed with her throughout her life, shaping her outlook, her relationships, and the intensity with which she cared for those around her. Like many who lived through upheaval, Brigitte carried both scars and determination. Her family carries forward the steadiness, decency, and commitment to honesty she worked hard to instill.

Over the course of her life, Brigitte lived in Romania before being displaced through Poland and Austria during the war. She later met her first husband, John Twomey, and moved to the United States. Her life then took her back to Europe, where John’s service in the United States Air Force led to five years in Spain—where she became fluent in Spanish—and then 24 years in Germany before returning to the United States.

She eventually settled in Florida in 1991, first in The Villages, where she served for several years as a volunteer water exercise instructor, and later in Panama City to be near her daughter.

Brigitte was preceded in death by her parents, Gerda (née Bayer) and Johann Maurer; her husbands, John Twomey and Haldane King; and her eldest son, Michael Robert Twomey.

She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Nancy Twomey; her children Bruce (Mary Ann Affeldt) Twomey, Brian (Ursula) Twomey, and Kelly (Bryan) Muller; her grandchildren Caroline, Aileen, David, Courtney, Christine, and Katie; and her great-grandchildren Catherine, Thomas, Julien, and Lillian.

Brigitte took particular care in her surroundings, often rearranging paintings and updating the decor of her home. She maintained a deep connection to her past, preserving black-and-white photographs of her relatives and the earlier chapters of her life.

Brigitte lived a long and eventful life, shaped by history and by her own unyielding nature. She leaves behind a family that carries her imprint in ways both visible and lasting.