Rosemarie and Otto Friedli

Rosemarie Soland Friedli and Otto Friedli were united in a loving marriage for 62 years and are united now again in Spirit. The couple met in their home country of Switzerland at the Hotel Wilderman in Luzerne. He was the showman and talented chef; and she, the strong and generous waitress. They wed in a mountain chapel in Switzerland in 1959. The young couple immigrated to the United States where they spent long careers in the restaurant and food industry. They made their homes in Switzerland, New Jersey, New York and Colorado. Rosemarie was born to Berta Soland and raised by the village midwife, Josefine Amrein. She apprenticed as a governess and waitress. At a young age she learned the fiber arts, which ignited a life-long passion for knitting artisan sweaters, blankets, and crafts. Rosemarie embodied generosity of Spirit and of gifts. She was an engaged listener and cared deeply about her family, neighbors, and friends. She was always game for an adventure, whether participating in the Bolder Boulder, riding a helicopter over a volcano, or hiking to the Isabelle Glacier. Rosemarie was a quiet, but mighty force. Her strength of character and mind were the foundation upon which her family relied. Otto was born to Rose Stucki and Otto Friedli in Luzerne, Switzerland. The youngest brother to Ruth and Adele, he spent many years creating mischief with his sisters and worrying his widowed mother. Otto apprenticed as a Chef throughout the famous restaurants of Switzerland, while finding time to play his clarinet in several bands. While he never loved school as a child, he loved being a student at CU Boulder as a senior auditor. Otto was a renaissance man. He had a distinguished career as an international chef and prepared meals for dignitaries around the globe. He was a musician, poet, polyglot, a deep thinker, a clown and always an entertainer. He was most proud of his gold medal, given in appreciation of his long career as an Executive Chef with Marriott. Rosemarie and Otto spent their household years in New York, and raised their four children there: Beatrice (Bill), Carla (Mark), Diana, and Erik (Chris). There they embodied the values of a loving family and hard-working immigrants. They were active members in the Swiss-American clubs and were proud citizens of the United States. Celebrations were always an international affair, filled with people, music and food from around the world. For Rosemarie and Otto, the door was always open and the table always set. In 1998, they moved to Boulder, Colorado, to be close to the mountains, to family and especially to their beloved grand-daughters Rosemarie and Maya, and most recently their great-grandson, Cedar. These many years were filled with so much joy. Waking to the mountains, sipping coffee at their favorite cafes, initiating neighborhood block parties and Christmas caroling, and always creating a feast for family and new friends. In their later years, they moved to their final home in Old Town Longmont where they were surrounded by the small-town kindness of neighbors who greeted the elderly couple on their porch as Rosemarie knitted and Otto played his recorder. Rosemarie and Otto truly loved life, people and animals. Every dog who passed by got a treat from Otto's pocket. Together, they embodied kindness and reminded us, "What a wonderful world." Deep gratitude to the kindness, wisdom and support of the many caregivers of TRU Community Care Hospice and PACE programs.