Hans’ Corner

Hans Ludwig von Schweinitz 26 October 1934 to 26 August 2015

Hans’ Corner Tabs

  • About Hans: Written about Hans posthumous
  • Von Schweinitz Family: About von Schweinitz family from Hans‘ notes and research
  • Written for Hans: About Hans’ career, hobbies, and interests written from his notes

Hans Ludwig von Schweinitz was born on October 26, 1934, in Liegnitz, Germany, in the province of Silesia (Schlesien) and passed away on the 26th of August, 2015, in Pflugerville, Texas.

His father was Hans Wilhelm von Schweinitz, his mother was nee Sigrid Freiin von Zedlitz-und-Leipe.  He had a happy childhood living on the ancestral estate Schloss Alt-Raudten, but his mother died in 1942, when he was eight years old.  Then, in early 1945, Russian troops rolled into Silesia, the von Schweinitz family, together with millions of other Germans, had to flee.  They happened to be on the streets of Dresden when Allied planes dropped phosphor bombs on the crowd, and over 33 000 people burnt to death.  The smell haunted Hans all his life.

Hans, his sister Ingrid, his father and his stepmother (nee Ursula von Frankenberg-Luettwitz) eventually settled in a small cottage without water and plumbing in the woods near Wiesbaden.

At the age of 14, Hans, all by himself, moved to Wiesbaden and completed a three-year apprenticeship as photographer and photo lab specialist.  He worked in that field in Germany until he was 23 years old.   His pay as an apprentice was so low, that he often had to go hungry.

In 1957, Hans immigrated to the United States and was soon drafted, although he was still a German citizen and could barely speak English.  He joined the US Air Force and served honorably for 20 years, retiring as SMSgt.  He became a US citizen in 1961.  He earned a B.S. Degree with Honor in Mathematics from Auburn University.

He met and married Helga Poertner in Milwaukee, WI, in 1958.  They were married until his death on 26 August 2015.

After he retired from the US Air Force in 1979, his civilian jobs included setting up and running a reconnaissance photo lab in Saudi Arabia for three years, working for the Veterans Administration as a computer analyst and being a free-lance photographer.  In 1980, he and Helga began buying run down houses, fixed them up and sold or kept them. That led to yet another career in buying and creating real estate liens.

He loved to give his wife flowers and usually bought a bouquet when shopping in a supermarket.

Hans and Helga liked to travel and to experience different cultures.  As a teenager he crossed the Alps on a bicycle.  During his career he lived in Thailand, England, Germany, Saudi Arabia and many different States of the US, thus not having a place he could call home except his family.  They joined Friendship Force International and stayed with families in Chile, Brazil, the Argentines, Japan and European countries.  He really enjoyed hosting visitors from several continents.

Hans was very active and had many hobbies.  He snow-skied on an Air Force team, he was a scuba diving instructor, he was a skilled spelunker, and an avid fisherman.

He appreciated Austin’s cultural scene, especially the Opera and activities sponsored by the German-Texan Heritage Society.  Since his stroke in 2004, he could no longer read books, nor drive a car or take his dogs Whiskey and Schnapsi for walks.  Yet, he never complained.