Sabine

Prof. Sabine Wienker-Piepho died on the morning of May 21, 2025, after a serious illness.

On the afternoon of the previous day, another member of the Museumgesellschaft, of which she was Vice President, and I visited Sabine at the university hospital.

She was lying on her back in bed, not asleep but pumped full of medication. The sight was cruel and unbearable. She didn't notice us or the bouquet of flowers.

Click photo to enlarge

I knew Sabine as a person who was turned towards life and bubbling over with intelligence. As the fairy tale professor, she would also dream, as in the photo I took on last year's Museumsreise to the Reichenau Island. This is how I will remember Sabine.

Sabine is contemplating the interior of St. Mark's Minster.
The late Pope Francis elevated the church to a basilica minor.

For lack of other literature during the war, Red Baron grew up with fairy tales.

You may read here how I discovered a copy of my lost fairy tale book.

Sabine read the blog, and she wrote a comment:

Sabine Wienker-Piepho June 18, 2024 at 1:36 PM

Dear Manfred, very suitable for my magazine. In German, with your pictures and slightly expanded. I'll print it! Your Sabine

Since 2018, she has been editor-in-chief of the periodical Märchenspiegel (The Mirror of Fairy Tales).

 I started working on a draft but didn't finish it on time.

Sabine's recent academic activities centered around the University of Jena. Her research focused on folkloric narratology, i.e., fairy tales, legends, songs, jokes, proverbs, and wit. She was a sought-after visiting professor.

For me, Sabine's activities at the Museumsgesellschaft remain unforgotten.

There was the trip she organized to the exhibition Brothers and Sisters at Tübingen.

Sabinen listens attentively to the explanations given by the museum director,
who showed us around.

She was also active as a vivid lecturer on a disturbing topic.

Her contributions to the Museumsgesellschaft's Advent celebrations and dinners will remain unforgotten. Her introductions of the speakers to the lecture evenings were legendary.

She has been Vice President of the Gesellschaft since 2021. As the first woman in this position, she has left big shoes to fill.

Sabine, we miss you, and I miss you especially.

RIP

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