Winifred M. Fiedler

FIEDLER, Winifred M. “Winnie”, age 97, of Dayton, died peacefully at her home on Thursday, March 27, 2020.

Winifred Mary Fiedler was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the second of two children, to Robert B. Cochrane, Sr. and Charlotte B. Anthony. At 16, she attended Radcliffe College/Harvard University, where she completed a psychology degree in 1943. Shortly after graduating, she married Otto E. Fiedler, a German immigrant from Dayton, Ohio, whom she met at Harvard. Upon her husband’s return from Europe where he served as a counter intelligence agent on the Czech border in the aftermath of WWII, the couple had five children: Joseph Robert, Carol Ann, and triplets Diane Charlotte, Barbara Jean, and Peggy Lee.

Winifred is survived by all her children, six grandchildren, and one great grandson.

She had a long life with several successful careers, including a news reporter, a troop leader and public relations director for the Buckeye Trails Girl Scout Council, and a two-term member of the Kettering School Board. In her later years, Winnie pursued her strong artistic abilities as a professional photographer, and after her husband’s death, as an acclaimed quilter. She loved the natural world as much as the arts, science, literature, and mathematics. In her varied roles, she was a mentor to many and friend to more.

Due to the pandemic, her family is sheltering in their homes. A memorial service in celebration of Winifred’s life will be scheduled at a future time.