Our community lost a singular spirit on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Madeleine (Mado) Spiegler passed away in the morning hours of Tuesday at the home she shared with her loving partner, Myron Koch, in Ghent, NY.

Born in France on July 15, 1939, the daughter of two teachers - French Resistance hero Louis Meyer and Helene Meyer -  she is survived by her two sons, Matthew and Marc, her grandchildren Olivia and Max, and her sisters Gabrielle and Susanne.

Mado was a multifaceted and multitalented intellectual and artist, with a PhD in from Sciences Politiques University in Paris and a passion for the written word. Mado was a teacher, translator, writer and a creator of art in multiple mediums, including papercut, silk batik, water-color painting, and drawing. A lover of nature, her heart was happiest outside, whether in the deep woods of New England, with sketch pad and pastels by a babbling brook, or on the scenic trails of the Vosges mountains of her birthplace, the Alsace region of France.

She moved to Columbia County in 1981, to teach at Hawthorne Valley School, staying for more than a decade, and inspired the intellects and adoration of many students, many of whom she forged lifelong friendships with.

Services will be held 11AM on Friday at the Christian Community Center at 10 Green River Lane, Hillsdale, NY 12529. Visitors are welcome to visit from 10-6 on Thursday to sit with the departed in the vigil room. Services will be followed by a potluck gathering. There will also be a Celebration of Life for friends and family of Mado to be held in July.