Mathilde “Hilda” Rominger and her identical twin, Elizabeth, were born on November 20th, 1931. They were the youngest of the six children in the Ringswandl family. Alois and Franziska Ringswandl raised their family in Haar, Germany in the area known as Bavaria. They unfortunately had to experience the difficulties of living there during World War II. When they were teenagers, she and her sisters took a course on caregiving and housekeeping which they enjoyed immensely. Consequently, she got a housekeeping job for 5 years and later she worked in a bakery. In 1955, she met her future husband Glen, who was an American soldier in Germany. She married Glen Stephens at the military chapel on November 9th, 1955. Shortly after this, she and Glen came to the United States. Being a military wife she moved around a lot. They lived in Kansas, Italy and Oklahoma, moving every (3) three years. While they were in Oklahoma, they adopted a sweet baby girl, Kathy. When Glen was stationed in Korea, Hilda and Kathy went to Germany to stay with her family there. After that, Glen was assigned to a base in Illinois. Hilda, Glen and baby Kathy made good friends there. Another soldier, David Rominger, had married a German girl named Gerda, and so the couples did many fun activities together. After eight months, Glen got new orders to go to Thailand. During her time there, Hilda became a Christian. Next, they were ordered to go to Fort Riley, Kansas where Glen retired. After that, they moved to Colorado Springs. Glen became ill and passed away in February 2002. For many years Hilda worked as a caregiver and was a very active church member at Grace Mountain Church, singing in the choir, participating as the “bus captain” for the bus ministry and greeting new people. Then David Rominger came for a visit to Colorado in 2005 and reconnected with her and they fell in love. They were married on February 13th, 2006. They had happy years together living six months in San Antonio, Texas and six months in Colorado Springs at the Satellite Hotel. They went on a cruise, traveled to Europe and visited other places in the United States. They would spend the winters in Texas and the summers in Colorado. However, in 2015, David passed away and Hilda had to spend her last nine years in her condo, welcoming visitors, reading her Bible, caring for her flowers and doing “her chores”. Hilda valued her independence and enjoyed some time of relaxation. On October 18th, she passed peacefully into the arms of her Savior and is now enjoying Heaven. But she will be missed here by many of us who spent time with her.

Hilda is survived by her daughter, Kathy, her granddaughters Lindsey (Michael) Railsback, Darcie (Michael) Oppfelt and grandson William Swearengine, two great-granddaughters Isabella and Cassandra Oppfelt, her niece, Renate and nephew Robert in Germany, as well as many other relatives there. Her caregiver, Carol Huerta, loved her as a sister. Donations in Hilda’s honor can be made to Gideons International or Grace Mountain Church.