Herta E. Aschmies

Herta (aka Mom) was a very active, independent and grateful person. We celebrate her life as she passed to be with the Lord on Friday, June 27, 2025.

Mom grew up in Amberg, Germany. The eldest of three, she helped her widowed mom raise her siblings as well as supported her mother as an independent businesswoman. She began her work career and dreamed of coming to the United States. At 21, she made that a reality by taking a domestic position and traveling with the family in Wisconsin, then back to NJ. Her first goal was to save enough money to be able to return anytime she wanted, which she did. She then moved into banking and bookkeeping working in Summit, NJ, and the Empire State Building in NY. She met her husband, Horst, at a German social in NJ, got married and had two children. Once they became of school age, she went back to work in bookkeeping, eventually working for companies like J&J, Hoechst and Celanese taking over global payroll tax departments. She retired at 62, did a brief stint as a consultant and fully retired at 63.

Early on, she moved from Summit to Springfield with her new family. Her and her husband were looking for a new home. She told me that she drove on Winding Brook Lane and fell in love with the hill, dirt road, and ended up getting the last property on the lane (before it was completed). She designed the home, and her husband did the architectural designs. They cleared the land, contracted out some of the building and had their “forever home”. This is where she wanted to live and where she eventually transitioned.

She was very active in the Califon Methodist Church for 50 years singing in the choir, serving on the board, and managing the finances. At her retirement, she started volunteering at the Top O’ the Barn thrift shop. There she served on the board and did all the financial work, where she worked with the founders of the Barn. The last four years she enjoyed Valley View Chapel and meeting me there.

When she moved to Califon, we got our first dog, and she had always been afraid of dogs. She had eight dogs in her life and loved them all. The last one, Lexi, was with her when she passed. She loved to bike and rode locally as well as many trips to the Delaware canal; hiked the Columbia trail (her favorite) and many other local trails. She was an avid gardener saying, “weeding is so much more fun the vacuuming” and loved all seasons. She was also an active member of the YMCA in Flemington and would go for “senior” swim with a group of older Germans – that went on for 25 years including the day before her passing.

Herta is predeceased by her husband, Horst; brother Hans Heinl; mother, Freida Heinl (Neukam); father Hans Heinl. Her sister in still in Germany and she visited twice a year as she could. They video called twice a week for the last 20 years as well. She is survived by her son, Marc, who resides in Califon 10 minutes from her home and helped in her latter years; her daughter, Suzan, who lives in Mexico would make periodic trips up with her husband, Dan Torok and dogs (latest one was Roxy). Mom was very excited to see Sue every time and enjoyed keeping in touch over the years. They had a very close relationship and were able to speak the day before.

Mom passed peacefully in her beloved home with her Lexi by her side. I will miss our Friday dinners out and Sunday dinners at our respective homes, but know she is now in God’s comfort. May the joy of her soul continue in the everlasting life.

All arrangements are private under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

You are encouraged to visit Herta’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”

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