Erika Maria Duffield

Published 8:55 am Thursday, October 27, 2016

On October 25, 2016 at 9:19 p.m., Erika Maria (Geldsetzer) Duffield of Hampton, Tenn., passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her children and husband. She was 85 years old. Shortly before her death, she told her kids that she could hear her father Erich singing old time German music. To her children and grandchildren, she was known as Oma or Mutti. She was preceded in death by her father, Erich Geldsetzer, her mother, Maria, three sisters, and son, David Alan Duffield.
She is survived by her husband, Alden W. Duffield Jr.; three children and their spouses, Rick and Heidi Duffield of DeWitt, Ark., Susan and John Cash of Hickory, Miss., and Alden and Kathy Duffield of Elizabethton, Tenn.; seven grandchildren; and a sister, Divna Stedolny of Bielefeld, Germany.
Erika was born in Remschied, Germany on July 20, 1931. A child of wartime, she lived her teenage years and early 20’s in Koln before moving to the U.S. in the late ’60s. She never looked back. She married a sailor, Alden W. Duffield Jr., in 1981. They were married for 35 years and raised two sons, Alden W. Duffield III and the late David Alan Duffield.
She was a longtime supporter of the Society for Prevention and Cruelty to Animals, Fraternal Order of Police, and Wounded Warriors for all the hard work and sacrifices they make. Though she was from Germany, she was a proud American patriot and supporter of our military. As a child living in war-torn Germany, one of her fondest memories was that of an American soldier giving her an orange for food. She frequently shared many stories of her childhood with her family. One of the first things she did when she moved to Tennessee was to put up an American Flag in her front yard, careful to monitor its condition. One of her last comments was how beautiful her flag was blowing in the wind. She said “America has the most beautiful flag in the world.”
One of the biggest pleasures her family enjoyed was her cooking. She was funny in that she would never sit down and write out her recipes…you had to be there and watch in order to learn how. She took many delicious recipes to the pearly gates.
Prior to her illness, Erika never missed sending a holiday, or birthday card, to all of her children and seven grandchildren–check included. Her family will miss her dearly. Like all people, Erika was wonderfully complicated, yet very simple in her convictions. God knew what he was doing by putting her in our lives. By her example, we learned of fairness, honesty, kindness, and a love that could only be from the eternal source of all life.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the SPCA (Society for Prevention and Cruelty to Animals) https://www.yourspca.org/tributegift; or to The Fraternal Order of Police, 328 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002; or to The Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.tetrickfuneralhome.com.
Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, is serving the Duffield family. Office: (423) 542-2232. Obituary Line: (423) 543-4917.