Sigrid Wortmann Weltge died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on November 15, 2024, at the age of 89.
She was born on October 31, 1935, in Bremen, Germany and spent her early childhood in war-torn Germany. At 18 she moved to Yorkshire, England and then to Geneva, Switzerland, working as a secretary and becoming fluent in English and French. In 1962 she emigrated to Philadelphia, PA and soon moved to Chestnut Hill where she lived for over 40 years.
Her early time in the US was spent as a young mother while also working as a fiber artist and earning both her undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Goddard College. Her Master’s dissertation, entitled “Die Ersten Mahler in Worpswede,” was published in Germany in 1979. Her second book, “Bauhaus Textiles: Women Artists and The Weaving Workshop” was published in the US in 1998.
She began teaching at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now Thomas Jefferson University) in 1976 where she became a tenured professor in the Textile Department specializing in Intro to Art History and the History of Textiles & Costume Design. She was beloved by her students and received the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 1982 and the Lindback Award in Teaching Excellence in 1996. She retired as a Professor Emerita in 2001 and continued to lecture frequently at many local institutions.
Sigrid loved to entertain and cook beautiful meals for family and friends, and she loved her garden and flowers.
Sigrid was married to fellow professor James Hassell from 1988 until his death in 1993. She is survived by her two daughters: Karin Tatum (Robert) and Kirsten Hare (Steve), her beloved grandchildren Anyaliese, Will and Wyatt Hare, her sister Erika Dubant, niece Catherine Fleury (Jacques), nephew Frederic Dubant (Emeline) and her many, many friends.
