In Memoriam
Nelly KOHLER
5. 7. 1926 - 11. 7. 2008
Pfarrer H. Greve, Präsident der SOAM, schreibt u.a.: "... Nelly Kohler ... hatte beim Baden eine Kreislaufschwäche erlitten, von der sie sich nicht erholen konnte. ... Leider haben wir auch erst nach unserer Rückkehr aus den Ferien am Montag, den 21. Juli von Nellys Tod erfahren. ... Pfarrer Hürlimann hat eine sehr würdige Abdankung gestaltet - ich habe im Namen der SOAM auch noch mit ein paar Worten unseren Dank für die von der Familie Kohler in Japan geleisteten Dienste aussprechen können. - Die Kollekte von der Abdankung in Höhe von Fr. 620 für das Haus der Begegnung werden wir im Oktober Prof. Uzumi persönlich übergeben."
Im Jahre 2005 hat sich Nelly Kohler auf Bitten des "Hauses der Begegnung" in Kyoto" ihrer beider Aufenthalte in Kyoto erinnert.
Erster Aufenthalt in Kyoto, Japan: 1954 - 19959
"... In the Shogoin house there was the custom to have an open supper: the Japanese women residents helped preparing supper. So for example when there was kujira (meat of whale) which had to be prepared in a tasty way. The children took an
Nelly KOHLER beim 120jährigen Jubiläum der OAM in Weimar, 2004
obento with makisushi along to school - rice with carrots, egg and spinach. After Barbara was born in 1957, and she was able to eat, we cooked for her always rice with fish and vegetables. When Yoshimi started to study and could no longer assist in the house chores, there was Matsuzaki-san, a member of the parish, living in an asylum for war widows. The former woman pastor had a good-contact with the war widows. Another woman was sewing my clothes - the sizes of Japanese women being different so my clothes had to be sewn individually. I took a lot of pleasure in the wide choice of beautiful fabrics, not available in Europe. Matsuzaki-san was assisting me with the care of Barbara when I came back from the clinic. The people helping in our house often said, that the house had a special smell - (I say gaijinkusai). And then there was the dog Micky, living in the garden. One day, he no longer was there. Isao Uchida went to look for him and found him at the dog catchers'. Micky was saved from being cooked (or that's what was said). The Japanese living with us used to say that the smell of the house was batakusai. At one time we bought a washing machine. Once a woman neighbour asked me if she could use the machine, offering us a live hen as a present afterwards. I fastened it with a string at the corner of the house, however, the next day it was dead, bitten by Micky! ..."
Der vollständige Bericht kann hier als pdf gelesen oder heruntergeladen werden.
Zweiter Aufenthalt in Kyoto, Japan: 1965 - 1969 - Schweizer Hausmutter im "Haus der Begegnung"
"... The HdB had already been opened in spring by Professor Inagaki and his wife Kazuko and Fritz and Yoko Dummermuth. Then we arrived at the end of September. The children had to go to school immediately. The three older children commuted every day from Kyoto to Kobe. After awhile the girls stayed there during the week in the dormitory of the Canadian Academy. Barbara and Elisabeth joined us later accompanied by my sister-in-law Julie. Barbara went to the English Speaking School in Kyoto by herself. She got private lessons from an American Nisei Student and as she liked these lessons very much, she started to speak English fluently in a short time. At that time, students of Kyoto University were on strike. She had to pass every day in front of the
Nelly & Werner Kohler
compound of the University. She witnessed the fights among the students with iron bars. She was very frightened then as one of them got killed.
We had to attend several meetings. On one hand there was a meeting of the house parents and the office staff and on the other hand a meeting of the house team elected through the house meetings. The house team was responsible for keeping a complicated steam boiler for heating and had to take instructions. Before this meeting we had the weekly common meal which was prepared by the house mothers and the obasans, Hiyama and Suwa-san. Later on some residents cooked in turn food from their countries assisted by us. ...
There was a wide range of activities of the house community besides the weekly meeting. After the common meals sometimes the residents had the opportunity to introduce their country. There were parties (welcome, dance, Christmas parties) to which neighbours and responsible members of the Rijikai were invited as well. We made some excursions with the obasan-tachi. Once the house went to Arashiyama and climbed a mountain where there were monkeys. The outing of Kiyomizudera (temple of pure water) was especially exciting for Barbara who had never seen men under the waterfall clad only in a shirt of white cloth.
Then Inagaki Sensei had an accident and broke his leg, so he had to stay in the Baptist Hospital. He later on moved with his family to the newly built house in Nagaoka. My husband then asked Professor Yuasa, the Rijicho, to accept Nakayama Kotaro as the following house father. So Nakayama was accepted and started in Spring 1967. In that summer he got married to Akiko-san, who became a good friend of mine. ... "
Der vollständige Bericht kann hier als pdf gelesen oder heruntergeladen werden.
Nelly KOHLER-SCHERRER
Lebenslauf 1926 - 2008
1926 Geboren am 5. Juli 1926 in Akkra, Ghana, ehemals Goldküste in Afrika als Tochter von Roseman und Lotti Scherrer-Wachter.
1928 Wechsel in die Schweiz. Mit ihren Brüdern Walther und Theo wuchs sie auf in St. Gallen, Schweiz, Schulen und Ausbildung als Sozialarbeiterin und Heimleiterin in St. Gallen.
1948 Heirat mit Werner Kohler
Pfarrfrau in Saas im Prättigau/GR.
1949 Geburt von Katharina in Saas
1950 Umzug nach Waldstatt/AR
Geburt von Veronika in Waldstatt
1952 Geburt von Georg in Herisau (bei Waldstatt)
1954 Reise von 8 Wochen nach Kyoto, Japan, Missionsauftrag der SOAM Schweiz. Ostasien-Mission
1957 Geburt von Barbara in Kyoto
1959 Rückreise in die Schweiz nach St. Gallen zur Mutter Lotti Scherrer
1960 Umzug nach Wollerau/SZ, Unterstützung von Werner Kohler bei seiner Dissertation
1961 Internationales Studentenhaus, Zürich (eines der „Reformierten Stundentenhäuser“), Mitleitung des Hauses; Werner Kohler trat gleichzeitig eine Gastprofessur in Heidelberg an.
1962 Geburt von Elisabeth in Zürich
1965 2. Umzug nach Kyoto/Japan mit 2. Missionsauftrag der SOAM. Das Projekt „Haus der Begegnung“ von Nelly und Werner konnte umgesetzt werden.
1966 Die Töchter Katharina und Veronika kehren in die Schweiz zurück um dort die Schulen zu besuchen und wohnen in Zürich bei der Familie von Prof. Ed. Schweizer (Neutestamentler)
1969 Rückkehr der Familie Kohler nach Europa, zunächst St. Gallen, dann Berlin. Werner Kohler trat einen Lehrstuhl an der Kirchlichen Hochschule an.
1971 Tod von Sohn Georg, nach kurzer Krankheit
1972 Professor in Mainz von Werner Kohler, pendeln zwischen Mainz und Berlin.
Später Umzug der Familie nach Mainz. Leitung eines Studentenhauses.
Nelly Kohler studierte Japanologie, Ethnologie und Psychologie nach ihrem Begabtenabitur.
Ferienhaus in Saas im Prättigau wurde zur 2. Heimat.
1984 Tod von Werner Kohler nach längerer Krankheit im Spital Chur/GR
Rückkehr von Nelly Kohler in die Schweiz nach vielen Jahren Japan und Deutschland. Während mehr als 20 Jahre an der Zypressenstrasse 144 in Zürich und seit März 2008 in der Alterswohngruppe des Diakoniewerk Salem, an der Hochstrasse 37 in Zürich.
Nelly Kohler beteiligte sich weiterhin aktiv in ihrer Kirchgemeinde Bullinger. Der Freiplatzaktion Zürich, Frauen für den Frieden Zürich, SOAM und Mission 21 und anderen sozialen und ökumenischen Organisationen.
2008 Nelly Kohler-Scherrer starb am 11. Juli 2008, nach einem Kreislaufkollaps während ihres geliebten Schwimmens im Zürichsee.
Die Beerdigung fand am 22.7.2008 in Zürich statt.