- Date Of Birth: March 18, 1916
- Date Of Death: September 6, 2012
- State: Maine
Ilse Gradwohl Fuchs was born in Berlin Germany on March 18, 1916. She escaped to Basel, Switzerland from Nazi Germany in 1938. In Basel she met and married Henry Fuchs and gave birth to their daughter, Betty. The family emigrated to the United States in January 1948 and settled in Rutland, VT later the same year. For many years Ilse was self-employed in retail sales, presenting over 1,000 Stanley Parties and Home Demonstrations during a five-year period. She worked in several retail stores and as a waitress at a number of restaurants in Rutland. In 1967 Ilse and her husband moved to Florida, where she worked as a caterer in the Pompano Beach area. She returned to Rutland in 1989, residing there until 2009, when she moved to Boothbay Harbor, ME. Ilse fulfilled a lifelong dream by celebrating her Bat Mitzvah at Rutland Jewish Center on March 18, 1994, her 78th birthday. More recently, she was a devoted member of Israel Congregation of Manchester, VT. She was a life member of Hadassah and an active Volunteer-Member of the City of Hope in Florida. Survivors include her daughter and husband, Betty and Martin Welt of Nobleboro, ME; granddaughters and their husbands, Sarah Welt and Carl Otis of Jersey City, NJ; Jessica Welt Betensky and Keith Betensky of Bedford, NY; and great grandchildren Jacob and Samara Betensky and Jamie Otis. She was predeceased by her husband.
