Emmi Vera Tobias Spies, a longtime resident of Princeton and Kingston, passed away on May 22, 2018. She was 89, and lived a remarkable life.
Born in Stettin, Germany in 1929, to Dr. Walter Tobias and Margarete Freundlich Tobias, she was 10 years old when she fled Germany together with her family. They emigrated to Santiago, Chile, where she was raised and schooled, showing talent in competitive swimming and in creating original fashions. She married Claudio Spies in 1953 and they moved to the United States, where they lived in Cambridge, MA, Poughkeepsie, NY, and Swarthmore, PA before moving to Princeton in 1970 with their five children, Caterina, Michael, Tatiana, Leah, and Susanna.
Shortly after arriving in Princeton, Emmi began to work supporting young dyslexic children and was one of the original teachers at the Lewis School, where she taught for many years. She took great pride in following the growth and success of so many of her former students. Even following retirement she continued to work with students from the Princeton area schools, and touched the lives of dozens of students and their families. Emmi was also an avid knitter of colorful hats, scarves and sweaters, which will continue to lend warmth and flair to many appreciative friends and family members.
Emmi spent many summers at the beautiful beach in Small Point, Maine, where she enjoyed long walks and many happy memories with family and friends. She was also very much at home in the loving family community of her beloved deceased brother Juan, of Vancouver, Canada.
She is survived by her children Caterina, and her husband Myron Reece, in Glen Ellen, California; Michael and wife Claudia, of New York City; Leah, and husband Alex Winck, of Los Angeles; and Susanna, of Los Angeles. Her beloved daughter Tatiana passed away in 2012. She is also survived by five grandchildren, Jake, Elijah, Ben, Olivia and Julia, and by her former husband Claudio, who lives in Glen Ellen with Caterina and Myron.
She will be lovingly remembered by her many friends and former students on a date to be announced shortly.
Private family services are planned. A memorial service will be held in Princeton for friends and former students at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association; or the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
