Hilda Strobel Coates Alford

A Tribute to Hilda Alford (1927 – 2026)

Today we celebrate the life of Hilda Alford—once Hilda Strobel—born in Stuttgart, Germany on September 23,1927.

A Journey of Courage

Hilda was a girl who braved boats and oceans for love. She crossed a war-torn Atlantic while big with child, sick half the way over, yet she never turned back. She kept her eyes on that New York dock until she found her soldier. When he was taken too soon in his forties, mending more than just hems at Sacony in Chesterfield. She was stitching a life together through widowhood, one steady stitch at a time. Then came Elwood, and she stayed true to him until he, too, slipped away in 1995.

A Life of Resilience and the Choice to Protect

Her strength was legendary. She stood alone for three full decades—strong legs walking miles every morning, never a cigarette, never a glass. But her greatest act of resilience wasn't for herself; it was for me. When I was seven years old, Grandma made the choice to protect. She didn't just take in a grandson; she became my mother. She stepped up as my legal guardian and my rock. She chose to raise me, Ashton, giving me a foundation and a future. She was the one who was always relevant, always there, and always my champion.

Thirty Years of Strength and a Family Full Circle

In her final years, the home she built for me became a home for my wife and our daughter, too. We got to see "Grandma being Grandma" to a new generation, as my wife and daughter helped care for her and were raised by her in return. On her very last night, we didn’t let her go through that valley alone. We all moved into the living room together—three generations sleeping side-by-side, keeping watch over her. We were a circle of love that she created, staying with her until the very end.

A Quiet Farewell and Final Peace

On January 2, 2026, Hilda’s long walk reached its end. She died clean from her final bath, in her own bed, in the room where she belonged. The heart that fluttered with atrial fibrillation is finally still; the pain has faded. There is only the quiet she earned through ninety-eight years of living. The girl from Stuttgart who braved the ocean lived to see her grandson grown and her family united.

Thank you, Hilda. Thank you for the straight lines, the long walks, and most of all, thank you for choosing me.

This was lovingly written by Hilda Alford's grandson, Ashton Coates.