Aleida Scholte

Aleida Scholte, passed away on June 25, 2015, surrounded by close friends. She was born May 3, 1919, in Kimberley, Wisconsin, to Dutch parents. She had one sibling, a brother, who died in 1997. The family moved to New York Mills, Minnesota, where they set up a farm from scratch. At a young age, Aleida was involved in hard farm work, she must already have shown that strong, independent, even stubborn character. When she was given the opportunity, she went to study nursing in St Paul, Minneapolis, thanks to the support of her mother’s sister who was a pharmacist. Aleida’s distinguished nursing career soon soared, and she achieved a high rank in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, which took her to the Pacific, the Far East as well as to Germany. One of the positions she fulfilled after returning to the US was that of Matron in Walter Reed hospital. Modest as she was, few were aware that Aleida was awarded the medal for “Military Merit” and the “National Defense” medal. Aleida also had property in California, but from the two, she chose eventually to live in Roswell after her retirement. One of the considerations was the risk of unstoppable brush fires in California. Around 1989, she and her brother journeyed to England and the Netherlands to meet up with Dutch relations and visit many of their ancestral places. When in Woking, England, she managed her brother and worked effortlessly to re-decorate her cousin’s house and also worked in her garden. Aleida was never one for luxury, but she liked going to classical music concerts at Pearson Auditorium at the New Mexico Military Institute. Over the years her visits to the casino brought her good winnings; she knew when to cash-in, pay the tax there and then go home. A longstanding member of the Newcomers’ Club, she rarely missed a meeting. Card playing was not just to be in good company, “it keeps the brain exercised and your fingers supple.” Aleida made many friends, quite a few of whom she outlived. Almost to the end, she looked after herself and all aspects of the maintenance of house and yard. Suffering from deafness and because she didn’t want anyone to see that she was no longer the physically strong person she had always been, Aleida kept more to herself during the last years of her life. That made it sometimes difficult for her friends and family to keep in contact. "She was a very kind lady" ... ... "Intelligent" ... ... "A good judge of character" ... ... " Respected" ... ... "A very independent person and private" ... ... "We’d often sit, and she’d tell her stories and we could laugh" ... ... "She didn’t suffer fools gladly" ... ... "Aleida was a dear friend"

Aleida Scholte

May 3, 1919 - June 26, 2015