Obituary for Gustav Schoser

Gustav Schoser of Hofheim (Taunus) died on 5 January 2012 at the age of 87. Mr Schoser was born on 22 August 1924 in Trochtelfingen (Hohenzollern) as the eldest of four children of Maria and Gustav Schoser (sen.). He first studied theology, switched later to biology and graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Tübingen. On 11 April 1955, he married Rita Geißler. The Schosers had four children. The family first lived in Tübingen and moved to Frankfurt (Main) in 1968 when Gustav became director of the Frankfurt Botanical Garden Palmengarten. In 1992, he retired from this post and moved to Hofheim.

Gustav's motto 'attempto' (I dare)

Mr Schoser received several decorations among which the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and several botanic awards. Several orchids carry his name. He also published numerous books and articles on gardening. Mr Schoser is survived by his wife Rita and their four children Claudia Schoser-Blottner of Berlin, Regina Philipps of Waldenburg, Susanne Hillmann of Wiesbaden and Benedikt Schoser of Munich and their five grand-children. A memorial service will take place at Frankfurt's main cemetery on Friday, 13 January 2012.

Make yourself at home

Regina Philipps (Schoser) owns and runs Villa Blum, a bed and breakfast, in Waldenburg (Hohenlohe). The villa was built by the Earl of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg between 1910 and 1914. It has four single and five double rooms, each with an individual design and high comfort.

The description on the website sound promising:

"Each morning, the scent of fresh coffee wafts through the entire house and invites you to the lavish breakfast buffet. In the evening, you are welcome to relax in the winter garden and enjoy a glass of wine."

And for those who nonetheless plan to leave the villa, there is also some sightseeing to be done.