Remembering Gabi Odermatt-Altvater

but I feel very lucky to have had the chance to meet her several times in Germany and in London.

I still remember my first encounter with Gabi around a mutual friend’s dinner table in Ludwigshafen.

She immediately struck me as a no-nonsense and powerful woman reminding me of the best of the trade-unionists I have met in my life.

I could tell she had a deep sense of social justice and a low tolerance for ‘bullshit’, whether coming from wealthy conservatives or friends on the left.

No nonsense.

Yet she seemed to have a fantastic sense of humour and a wry smile, which I suspect reflected a capacity for sarcasm that she kept firmly under control.

Gabi struck me as someone who was an indomitable fighter and I gather she remained that way right up to the end.

How I wish I could have spoken to her in German but somehow she managed to listen to me in English and, after a glass of wine or two, she could express herself quite well in my language.

Walter and Gabi seemed to be that kind of rare couple, devoted to one another through thick and thin.

I know how deeply he has felt her passing, but I suspect as the pain subsides it will be her stubborn perseverance, indomitable spirit and sense of humour that will continue to inspire him.

I am a grateful I had the chance to know Gabi Odermatt.

Professor James Putzel

London