Petra F. Hoeschele

Petra F. Hoeschele 1956 - 2018 Petra F. Hoeschele passed away on May 21 after a courageous two and a half month battle with uterine cancer.  She is survived by loving wife Mary Ludwicki, brother Marc, sister-in-law Ann, and their children Hannah and Andrew. In addition, Mary's family and a loving, supportive community of friends shared in her final days, as well as many of the joys of her life.  Petra was born April 23, 1956 in Wilmington, DE to first-generation German immigrant parents, Guenther and Ursula. She excelled in swimming and field hockey through high school, and her competitive nature in physical endeavors was later channeled as an adult into sculling on the Schuylkill River, hiking, and biking. She graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Linguistics, however an interest in the law led to her work as a paralegal and ultimately obtain a law degree from Temple University. Petra initially practiced family law as a sole practitioner with an interest in serving those who were most in need of legal support. She also performed a range of pro bono legal work for friends, neighbors, and others in need. From a professional perspective, many of these cases were the most rewarding to her. In recent years, she worked for the City of Philadelphia as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Diane Thompson in Family Court. For Petra, fulfillment in life was the driven by connections and experiences with the special people in her life. She and Mary were married in April 2015, but spent more than 12 wonderful years together enjoying life, travels, good food, and their menagerie of pets. Visits with her brother and family, as well as trips to the Caribbean, Europe, New Zealand, and Indonesia provided joy and satisfied her wanderlust. Simple pleasures were equally satisfying to her, such as walking her dog Sigi in the Wissahickon, playing pool or bird watching in Cape May. Petra also was an avid reader with a mountain size stack of books next to her bed that attests to that passion. Petra lived life and battled her cancer with an energy and passion recognized by all around her. She lived without pretense, was straightforward in her actions with people, cared passionately about saving our planet, and was always a voice for the underdog. She gave generously to causes she cared about: Doctors without Borders, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Public Television. Those who knew her were blessed by her presence, appreciative of her intellect and wit, comforted by her energy, spirit and heart. There is a void where she once stood.  In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Keystone Hospice, 8765 Stenton Ave., Glenside, PA 19038. A celebration of Petra's life will be held on July 14 at 3 pm at PGRC Rowing Club, 14 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA 19130