We are saddened to share news of the death of Carl Heidenreich’s daughter Monica Smith on August 13, 2022.

Left: Monica Smith
Right: Monica and Carl Heidenreich

Monica Smith (1929–2022) was the only daughter of Carl Heidenreich and Lejah (Lia) Kagan. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1929, Smith witnessed World War II firsthand.

As a child, she was forced into hiding alongside her mother and later with her grandparents in Berneck, while her father was forced into exile. Following the war, she arrived in the United States.

In her unpublished biography Moni: The Life and Times of Monica Johanna Heidenreich Lortz Smith, she writes about the monumental changes and historical events she bore witness to: “We went from splitting logs to splitting the atom, from crystal sets to satellites, digital TV and computers. From mustard plasters to transplants and bypasses. From walking to bikes, cars to flying and space exploration.” She died in Washington State, where she had lived for many years.

Further through Moni, she lists her favorite things: Listening to the birds sing at dawn, watching the sky at dusk in Arizona, the smell of freshly ground coffee … getting mail from a good friend, and seeing Berneck from the ruins above the town.