Irmi's Cousin Ulrike

Gerlingen, Germany  (2002)

Ulrike Scharna  (1962-2004)

Ulrike, pictured above with son David, was born in the southern German city of Stuttgart.

After completing primary and secondary school in her hometown of Gerlingen, she enrolled

at the same teachers' college in nearby Reutlingen as had her cousins, Marion and Irmhild.

Like Marion and Irmhild, Ulrike at first aspired to be a teacher but changed her major to

library science at the outset of her third year.  After graduation, she spent one year living

in Italy, improving her understanding of the language and culture.  She then returned to

Reutlingen and entered into a three-year apprenticeship program with the library system.

Having successfully completed that, she secured a full-time position as a staff librarian at

the city's main branch library.  Three years later, in March 1996, she gave birth to a son,

David.  The following year, at age thirty-five, Ulrike was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She fought the cancer hard, undergoing two surgeries and numerous rounds of radiation

and chemotherapy.  For several years, the cancer went into remission, and Ulrike returned

to a relatively normal lifestyle; however, the disease eventually returned and began to

spread.  After battling for seven long years, Ulrike finally succumbed in November 2004.