Gudrun Lechliter, 54

LEWES - A bright shining star burnt out early when Gudrun Lechliter, a lifelong nonsmoker, lost her courageous battle against lung cancer on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008. She was 54.

To paraphrase the poet Dylan Thomas, she went not gently into that dark night, but raged and fought valiantly with dignity for some two and one-half years against the disease that robbed her of the light.

Gudrun was the loving and beloved wife of retired U.S. Army Col. Gerald A. Lechliter. She and her husband lived in Lewes since April 1999.

Her compassion, courage and cheerful disposition, even in the face of adversity, inspired all who came to know her.

Gudrun's absence leaves a cavernous hole that cannot be filled, and she will be sorely missed by her family and all those who came to know her.

Gudrun was born and raised in West Berlin, Germany.

She and her husband met while he was stationed there in 1976. That is a love story in itself. In 1979, Gudrun gave up her career in Germany when they married in Bisbee, Ariz.

Her husband's career necessitated many moves, and they spent the next 20 years in numerous locations in Europe and the U.S.

Gudrun became the consummate homemaker and supported her husband totally: his successes in the Army were just as much hers.

Ever the helper, she never complained even in the worst circumstances.

Gudrun was a person of uncommon character: reserved, kind, generous to a fault, caring, compassionate, considerate, and always willing to extend a helping hand even while battling cancer. He simply was a fantastic person, a bright, shining example.

Gudrun found pleasure in simple things and celebrated the small joys of life. She was a passionate reader, gardener, gourmet cook and defender of animals' rights.

While her husband was still working, she loved long solitary walks in the forests and mountains of Germany and along the Rhine River with their dogs Frantz and Fritz, who preceded her in death.

In Lewes, she and her husband were avid walkers of the Delaware Bay beach with friends and Fritz, well known by the locals as the "stick dog" for the huge stick he always carried.

She is survived by a stepdaughter, Lydia Lechliter of Pittsburgh; her husband of Lewes and Berlin, Germany; her aunt, Irene Teise; sister, Ilona Gebhard and brother-in-law, Detlev Gebhard; nephew, Dennis Gebhard, all of Berlin, Germany; and her cousins Gitti Gast and Rita Fischer, and their families, of Dortmund, Germany.

All services are private.

Arrangements are being handled by Parsell Funeral Enterprises, Lewes.

Instead of flowers or cards, a donation may be made to the ASPCA, 424 E. 92nd St., New York, NY 10128-6804; or other animal rights organization.