Ursula Garreau Rickenbacher

1933 - 2021

Rickenbacher, Ursula Garreau TROY Ursula of Switzerland; a real woman... Ursula Garreau Rickenbacher passed away on September 1, 2021. She was a renowned designer and leader of the iconic fashion house Ursula of Switzerland, which she began with only 48 cents in 1964. It was vibrant for 55 years. Born in 1933 in Einseideln, Switzerland, and feted internationally, Ursula was a lover of all things beautiful, and it was natural for her to dress women beautifully. Inside the walls of the historic building on the Hudson River in Waterford that housed her business, she was at her energetic, creative and compassionate best. Grateful to her adopted nation, Ursula's designs proudly displayed "Made in USA" when most designer manufacturers fled to China and beyond. A woman of grace and style, she was compassionate, soft spoken and generous always. She enjoyed making all sorts of nutritious things for her family of employees. Her friends recall her as a charming, marvelous hostess, even to the forest-full of critters she fed regularly. Self-effacing and modest, she quickly would turn any spotlight on her toward you. Her world view had a wide lens. Having grown up in the dark shadow of Hitler's brutal Nazi regime, and as a young woman who lived and traveled extensively, she would argue convincingly that before people gave up their freedoms and rights here, they should first live under other forms of government. Her care in the emergency room and ICU before her death on September 1, 2021, was attended by exceptional caretakers and doctors there. Her family and close friends are most grateful. Her loving niece, Sylvia Rickenbacher Gabriel and Urs, her husband, with Edith Lutz, a dear friend, will distribute her ashes in Engadin Valley, in Lai Nair and Lai Cavloc near St. Moritz. We will long celebrate the woman who was the genuine Ursula of Switzerland. Elegant to the end. An afternoon tea and celebration of her life will be held at The Troy Country Club on Sunday, November 21, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Please RSVP at 518 588-2310 or online at TheRiverviewFuneralHome.com Arrangements are under the direction of the Riverview Funeral Home of Troy.