Horst von Oppenfeld

I had the great honor of meeting Herr von Oppenfeld during a gathering of friends for his 95th birthday two summers ago in Reston Virginia. I will never forget his kind words and how appreciative I will always be to have had the chance to meet him and discuss our mutual interest in both of our ancestral ties from Hinterpommern, Prussia along with our times spent at Michigan State University .

My sincere condolences to Dr. Von Oppenfeld's children and other family.I first met Dr. Oppenfeld at the Montgomery County Swim Center. We somehow struck up a conversation one day in the water, he was a true gentlemen and what an interesting man. I soon learned about his beloved wife Judy, how he came to this county and about his historic past. My mother and I were invited over to their home one afternoon for tea. What a delightful time we had. In 2002 my eldest son, Jonathan, was in an AP History class at WJHS. Their senior project was to interview an immigrant to the USA. I mentioned this to Horst and he said he would be honored for Jonathan to come and interview him. What an extraordinary interview he had with Horst. Jonathan took all of his many, many notes and turned it into a film of sorts. Starting from getting off the boat, going thru immigration, interviewing for his first job as a gardener and so forth. It was fascinating and Jonathan got the top grade of the class. More importantly, my son Jonathan had a personal experience from a man whose past was a part of history both in Germany, Asia and the US. I myself learned sooooo much from the man. I am a history nut but never knew of the prison camps we had in the US for Germans during WWII. I attended Judy's service and that was the last I ever saw of Horst. Horst told me after her service his children would be taking care of him and he would be in touch. Unfortunately this never happened and I sometimes feel I could have tried harder. He had told me he was living I believe on Conn. Ave somewhere. I have thought of him many, many times over these past years and was saddened today to hear of his passing. He was an incredible person, talked of his children and his past many times. He had a wonderful long life with hardships, accomplishments, love of his life and family. May all our lives be as fulfilling as his was. I will miss you Horst but you are with Judy once again, may you always be happy.

Debi Mengering