Hildegard Erna Enzenberger

Hildegard Erna (Riske) Enzenberger of East Tawas, formerly of Venice, Florida and Bloomfield Hills, passed away on March 11, 2026 at the age of 90.

Born on August 15, 1935 to Adolf and Alwine Riske, Hildegard grew up on a farm in the small town of Nordenberg, East Prussia, Germany. She loved the animals on the farm, especially her cat, Schwartze Pater, and excelled in school with a particular passion for reading, language, and mathematics. From an early age she also found joy in singing, beginning in the choir of her father’s ministry.

During World War II, Hildegard and her family fled their home under gunfire, escaping in a leaky boat across the Baltic Sea to Denmark, where she spent two years in a refugee camp. After returning to Germany in 1948, the family eventually realized their dream of immigrating to America. In 1952, Hildegard came to the United States with her father, sister, and two brothers, settling first in Levering, Michigan. She later moved to East Canton, Ohio, where she lived with her pen pal Shirley while completing high school in English. She then rejoined her father in Detroit, working as a bookkeeper at Detroit National Bank. It was there, through a renter in her father’s house, that she met her future husband, Dieter Enzenberger.

Hildegard and Dieter shared 70 years of marriage and raised four loving children together. She created a warm and beautiful home, enjoyed sewing with her sister-in-law Heidi, and cherished close relationships with extended family. She found great pleasure in travel, family gatherings, and helping others, especially her loved ones. She leaves behind a rich legacy of resilience, kindness, and devotion.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Adolf and Alwine Riske; her sister Hulda and brother-in-law Karl Kunz; brothers Alfred and Heidi, Erich, Bruno, and Wilhelm Riske; five siblings who died before her birth; and grandchildren Julie Enzenberger Philpot and Daniel Sargent.

Hildegard is survived by her husband, Dieter Enzenberger; her children, Rosalind (Dwight) Sargent, Sharon (Ray) Cavell, Mark (Julia) Enzenberger, and Glen (Terri) Enzenberger; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.