Ilse E. Reist, 94 of Scottdale, PA passed away Saturday, December 3, 2022 at her residence “after a long battle with aging” (her words). Ilse was born in 1928 in Darmstadt, Germany, the daughter of August and Elisabeth (Emmert) Hochstättler. She spent her adolescence growing up surrounded by war, losing her father at the age of 15. After high school, she attended Bluffton College in Ohio as an exchange student.   After returning to Germany she worked as an interpreter before meeting her husband, the late Donald E. Reist, in Alsace, France, where they both worked for the Mennonite Central Committee. In 1958 they settled in Scottdale, after which she attended the University of Pittsburgh, graduating summa cum laude with degree in German education.
 
Ilse retired from Connellsville High School, where she founded the German program and taught throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, introducing many generations of students to European culture through language.   A benefit to staying in Scottdale during her retirement was the regular encounter with former students still affectionately remembering her as “The Frau”.  Beyond teaching, Ilse was interested in anything cultural.  She was a supporter of the Pittsburgh Symphony and a member, along with her husband, of the Alliance Francaise, a club celebrating French arts and culture.
 
Ilse was an active member of Scottdale Mennonite Church. She enjoyed conversing with friends and exercising her unique sense of humor. In her later years a favorite hobby was quilt making with a church group called “The Comfort Zone”. This group crafts quilts and comforters to benefit the needy.  Always curious, she organized this weekly meeting into an opportunity for a wide variety of speakers to share on topics including world religions and popular culture.
 
Ilse is survived by her sons, Christopher (Rhoda), Hans (Theresa), and Joel (Sari), and by grandchildren, Jocelyn, Shoshana, Noah, Nadia, and Laela.