Obituary of Margot Sekkel

Margot A. Sekkel Margot A. Sekkel passed away peacefully on May 23, 2011, at the age of 92. Her son, daughter in law, and friend Victoria were by her side. Born in Nuremberg, Germany on September 28, 1918. She was the daughter of Siegfried and Gertraud Astruck. At the age of 14 in 1932 she defiantly declared that she would not die in this little village which upset her Mother tremendously. In spite of her parents love of the city they decided to leave Germany so that their son, Margot's brother Gerry, would not be lost in what appeared to be an impending war. Her father Siegfried lost 2 brothers in World War I & he was one of the few people to be released from The Dachau Concentration Camp before the war started in 1939...All motivation to leave & start over somewhere else. The whole family escaped through Switzerland to England to join Siegfried's brother, Paul, who had established himself in the 1920s in London and had a business there. They were fortunate to survive the London (Blitz) bombings by Germany and in 1941 they followed Gertraud's brother to Lima, Peru to start over. Gertraud died 2 years after their arrival in Peru. After her Mother's death Margot enjoyed sitting together with her father during many long nights as he told her stories of their lost fatherland and home in Nuremberg. In 1944 after her father became successful again, by starting a plastics firm in Peru, he sent Margot on vacation to Mar de Plata, Argentina (a seaside gambling resort). There she met her husband in a hotel lobby and it was love at first sight, they were engaged within 45 hours.a true love story. They lived in Argentina until 1954 when they moved to the United States & settled in Southern California with their 8 year old son, Ron. She worked for Hunt's Foods & Beckman's Instruments. They lived in the States for 18 years and decided to retire to Munich, Germany. Archie Sekkel, her husband, passed away in 1974. Margot continued to stay in Germany, where she enjoyed a wonderful circle of friends as a result of joining the German-American Club in Munich. In 2001 Margot decided to return to the States to be near her son and daughter-in-law. Her interests included enjoying Opera, Reading, having tea with friends, and travel. She hated to dance but agreed to dance with her son on her 75th birthday. He'd tease her almost every day of her life after that with the invitation to dance. She always answered "no" then he would ask "How about tomorrow" she always answered, ".maybe tomorrow." She is survived by her son, Ronald P. Sekkel, her daughter-in-law, Cynthia D. Sekkel, Cousins in Peru & England and many friends the world over. A celebration of life will be held for her friends and family at the Dominican Oaks Retirement Home. A private burial will be held at Felton District Cemetery where she will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband Archie. The family requests that In lieu of flowers a donation be sent to the Dominican Hospital Foundation for the Mobile Van at 1555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, CA, 95065 or to the Santa Cruz County Symphony at 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060. To light a candle and share your condolences with Margo's family, please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com