Inger Koedt

Inger Koedt
Inger Koedt, rafting on the Snake River in the Tetons, c. 1968
BornJanuary 15, 1915
Copenhagen, Denmark
DiedAugust 16, 2021(2021-08-16) (aged 106)
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States
NationalityAmerican
ChildrenBonnie Kreps, Anne Koedt, Peter Koedt

Inger Koedt (January 15, 1915 – August 16, 2021) was a Danish-born American woman who rescued Danish Jews as part of the Danish resistance movement. She emigrated to the United States after World War 2, becoming a community fixture in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Personal life

Koedt was born in Copenhagen on January 15, 1915. When she was young, she married Bobs Koedt (born Andreas Peschcke-Koedt). Bobs was a Danish-American born in Riverside, California, and raised in a suburb of Copenhagen. Together they raised their three children in a suburb of Copenhagen until after World War 2. During the War, Bobs and Inger joined the Danish resistance to Nazism and harbored Danish Jews in the basement of their home. They smuggled over 30 Danish-Jewish families from their home in Charlottenlund to freedom in Sweden by boat. Bobs was arrested and interrogated by the Germans and sent to Nazi headquarters, but survived unharmed.[1] Due to her husband's American citizenship, the Koedt family was able to easily immigrate to the United States and settled in San Francisco in 1951. A few years later, Inger and Bobs moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, becoming fixtures in the community. Suffering from depression and seizures, Bobs died by suicide shortly before his 80th birthday. Inger lived in Jackson Hole for over 60 years. Despite her nominally-Protestant upbringing, Koedt was not religious herself, and was closely involved with the Jackson Hole Jewish Community because she wanted to tell younger people what had really happened to the Jews in World War II.[2]

An avid mountain climber, Koedt climbed the 14,000-foot Grand Teton at age 66 with her son, Peter Koedt.[3]

She created the recipes for a cookbook titled "From Smorrebrod to Subs, Inger Koedt’s Recipes for the Mountains". The cookbook features Danish cuisine, local legends, and some of Koedt's family history.[4]

Inger is the mother of the feminist writer Anne Koedt. Her daughter Bonnie Kreps is a feminist filmmaker.[5] In 1972, Bonnie made an independent documentary about Inger, "Portrait of My Mother."[6]

Death

Koedt died in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on August 16, 2021, at the age of 106. She was the oldest resident of Teton County, Wyoming, upon her death.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ Levine, Ellen (2000). Darkness over Denmark : the Danish resistance and the rescue of the Jews. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-1447-7. OCLC 41142979.
  2. ^ "105-year-old Teton woman overcomes challenges rockier than mountains". Byuiscroll.org.
  3. ^ "Celebrating Wyoming Centenarians: At 105, Woman Advises Eat Chocolate & Drink Wine". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  4. ^ "Koedt still cooking as she nears 104". Jackson Hole News & Guide. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  5. ^ "Bonnie Kreps: Feminist Filmmaker". Cinema Canada. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. ^ "Films of Bonnie Kreps – Transcenturyradio.com". Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  7. ^ "Inger Koedt, 106, faced down Nazis to save Jews". Jackson Hole News & Guide. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  8. ^ "Longtime Jackson resident, Inger Koedt, dies at age 106". Jackson Hole News & Guide. Retrieved 2021-12-07.