During her long life the village and its surroundings changed dramatically. As a child Ida used to run down the street shouting "D’Dampfscheese chunt" whenever a car drove past. (This is difficult to translate: "scheese" comes from the French word "chaise" and "Dampf" means "steam". So the literal translation is effectively "The steam chaise is coming!) Where once her farm with its fields and meadows stood there is now public housing. Together with Elise, her elder sister, she grew up part of a simple farming family. Sadly her father didn’t care much for his family and hardly spent any time at home. He also died at an early age. The cattle and fields had already been sold before his death, and in order to make ends meet Ida’s mother, and later also her sister Elise, worked in the local silk-making factory. While still a schoolgirl Ida was already used to looking after herself. She made a second home with her best friend and her best friend’s mother, Frau Volkart. As she grew up she got great practical value from her relationship with this family, learning important house-keeping skills from them. Though from a more affluent background, Frau Volkart was a close friend of Ida's mother. While the latter had to go out to work, Frau Volkart stayed at home, sewing and lace-making. Her daughter Trudi was Ida's best friend. Trudi Volkart later married Otto Zinggeler, and their two daughters Rosemarie and Lisbeth, were in turn friendly with Ida's three girls. Frau Volkart's other daughter, Mina, didn't marry. In our family she was always referred to as Fraulein Mineli.

Ida's mother must have been a strong and remarkable woman. Despite the difficult circumstances of her life she was able to ensure that both her daughters grew up to be happy and good-hearted women.

After she left school Ida worked in the office of the milk co-operative in Winterthur. She got married early, in 1924 when she was 24 – to her childhood sweetheart, Fritz Lüthi. A young, self-confident woman, she lived with her parents-in-law, and it wasn’t always easy for her. But the War and the subsequent depression, combined with the poor health of her mother-in-law, left them with no other option.

Ida and Fritz had three daughters who all grew up in the family home near Embrach station. Ida was a good, caring mother. She made sure her children felt safe and secure and nothing was going to get in the way of providing them with a good upbringing and education. Her husband, himself a happy, creative and talented man, helped her bring the family through the troubled economic times. The family grew just about all the food they needed in their garden and field, and most of their clothes were hand-knitted or sewn.

Bringing up her own daughters sparked in her an interest in the education of young girls and women and she was inspired by the introduction of compulsory evening classes for apprentices. For many years she worked in the office of the local "Kommission", an organisation which arranged training and work experience for young girls in house-keeping and home-making. Later on she became a superviser, ensuring that the placements were properly quality-controlled. She also enrolled herself on a number of courses. She shared her husband’s passionate fondness for nature and they enjoyed many experiences throughout their school days and youth. Together – and later with their daughters – they toured the Swiss mountains on their bicycles. It was also lovely when they sang together, which they frequently did.

She delighted in her 11 grandchildren. Closest to her were the children of her youngest daughter, Erika, who lived with her for several years before moving into their own home nearby. Difficulties were to follow, however. Shortly after his retirement her husband Fritz became very ill. But her strength of character and her faith were astonishing and she remained cheerful and optimistic. Even when he became partially paralysed she continued to nurse him at home. After he died she remained alone in the family home, surrounded by lots of blooming flowers. Just as in her youth she had nurtured and tended the plants in her garden, now they helped her find a way through her troubles and to cope with life on her own. For many years she was an active supporter of the local Missionary Society, and of course she looked forward to and enjoyed visits from her daughters, grandchildren and sister in law.

When she reached 80, house-keeping finally became too much of a struggle for her and so, in 1984, she moved into the local care home for the elderly in Embrach. However, she continued to spend much of her time out and about, often walking down to the village to visit her youngest daughter in the Schutzenhausstrasse. As her memory began to fade and her mind started to wander she spoke more and more about her own mother and tried searching for her in her childhood home in the Dorfstrasse. But her body began to weaken and her strength dwindled. When staff at the care home were no longer able to meet her increasingly challenging needs she was moved to the Klinik Hard, which was much better placed to deal with her mental deterioration. On nice days, when she was visited by her daughters and her sister in law, they were able to take her out into the fresh air in a wheel-chair.

In 1986, when her first great grandchild was born, she was still able to take pleasure in the event. Two later great grandchildren she sadly never got to know as they were born and lived in South Africa. And whether she even knew about the other Swiss ones it is hard to tell as by this time she had become very confused. In her final days, when her family visited her in the Klinik, they were grateful for even the faintest smile. My mother has a poignant memory of one of the last times that she was able to take her out in the wheelchair. Together they sang a favourite song, and when they had finished Ida continued, almost under her breath, to hum the tune quietly to herself.

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