Hildi Zeller was born on March 9, 1927 in Zurich. She was the second daughter, after Berti, of Eugen and Anneli Zeller, and later came a son, Robert. The father was a teacher at the Römerhof school in Zurich. The Zeller family was closely connected with the Oxford Groups, the forerunner of Moral Rearmament (MRA), and Hildi already came to Caux in 1946, in the early days of the conference center. She took part in the enormous cleaning work, so necessary in this palace, abandoned since the Second World War, which involved a host of volunteers from all over Switzerland.
Afterwards, she spent a long time in South Africa where she took care of the children of a family of friends and collaborators of the RAM, and then in the United States in the center of Moral Rearmament in Mackinac where she was one of the cooks of Frank Buchman. Back in Switzerland Hildi helped families working with MRA and often took care of the children at Caux. She once found herself with a large number of them in a separate chalet when two of them caught scarlet fever and all the inhabitants of the chalet with their companions were quarantined.
Throughout her life she has been a faithful friend to many people, accompanying in particular those who were going through difficult phases, helping them to find a meaning to life and to move forward. Hildi has never been afraid to take on demanding tasks. First in the large kitchens of the meeting centers, later in the Caux bakery and in floral decoration. Over the years, she has tirelessly decorated the Protestant chapel of the village with flowers from the garden or from the fields.
She also found her moments of relaxation in the walks she took with her quick step, or by cross-country skiing, in Caux and in the surroundings. She lived for decades at Villa Maria where she took an active part in the life of the community. Later, she was very happy to be able to move into her own apartment in the Chalet de la Patinoire where she could invite her many friends for a meal or tea in a more intimate way. She participated intensely in the life of the village, especially in the traditional 'Advent windows'.
In 2009, after a fall and a long stay in hospital, Hildi entered the Beau-Site establishment in Clarens. She received a very warm welcome and was cared for with great attention and affection until the end.
She passed away in 2012.
