Kulke, Dr. Margarethe Christine 84, of Wellesley, MA, passed away peacefully at her home on January 24, 2021, surrounded by her family. She was born in New York City on March 9, 1936, to Drs. Kathe and Herbert Liedke, both of whom had immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1920s. Herbert was a professor in the German Department at the City University of New York, and Kathe was a developmental biologist at Columbia University. Margarethe grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and went on to receive an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College, a master’s degree in chemistry from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University. While at Stanford, she met and married her husband of 58 years, Dr. Bernhard Kulke, who at the time was a graduate student in the engineering department.
Margarethe went on to pursue a teaching career at Mills College in Oakland, CA, and is remembered by her students as a devoted teacher and mentor. Following her retirement, she continued to express her love of both teaching and nature by volunteering as a docent at the Oakland Museum of California, and as a guide for greenhouse tours at Wellesley College after she and Bernhard moved to Wellesley in 2007. Gardening and photography were hobbies she loved. Active in the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church community, she served on the altar guild, managed the flower fund, and participated in outreach, Bible study, and book groups.
She is fondly remembered by her family as a loving and generous wife, mother, and grandmother. A shining beacon for her extended family, she loved nothing more than bringing everyone together for summer vacations and holidays. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Bernhard Kulke, her son, Dr. Matthew Kulke (Rachel Viola) of Brookline, MA, her daughter, Christine Kulke Cox (Tim Cox) of Gaithersburg, MD, and her six grandchildren: Catherine Kulke, Matty Kulke, Isabella Viola, Joseph Viola, Alexandra Cox, and Penelope Cox.
Burial at Woodlawn Cemetery will be private. Donations in Margarethe’s memory may be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 79 Denton Rd., Wellesley, MA, 02482, or to Good Shepherd Community Care, 90 Wells Ave., Newton, MA, 02459.