Anne Katrina Thuillier

Anne Katrina Thuillier (nee Schroeck) of Carbondale passed away on Aug. 14 at Heritage Park Care Center. Anne began her life in Grunbach, Austria on June 11, 1925. Anne was the only daughter of Anna and Leo Gruber. Her brothers were Hermann, Hansel and Walter.

At the age of 17, Anne left home to become a governess in Guernsey, Wales. It was during this time Anne met her future husband, Maurice Thuillier, on a trip to London.

Maurice was already an accomplished chef, working at the French Consulate in London. Anne and Maurice fell in love and were married in London, England, a year later. Anne and Maurice lived in England while Maurice continued to finely hone his culinary skills as a chef serving royalty such as Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.

In the late 1940s, Maurice accepted a one-year post in Madagascar, Africa, with the French Consulate. Anne and Maurice traveled to this remote locale where they experienced the adventure of living in a remote African jungle.

In 1956, the French Consulate brought Anne and Maurice to Denver, Colo., where they became naturalized citizens of the United States. Maurice began work as a chef at the International House in downtown Denver, and Anne established a cozy, warm and caring home in which to begin her family. In 1957, Anne and Maurice were blessed with their first child, a daughter, Danielle Anne, followed 17 months later by a son, Michael Maurice, and two years hence a son, Robert Pierre. As Maurice’s skills as a chef continued to excel so did Anne’s skills as a loving, happy and giving mother to her three children.

In 1967, Anne and Maurice moved to Aspen, Color., where Maurice became famous as French chef at the Aspen Alps. Anne’s family flourished as Anne became an accomplished and admired tennis player and swimmer. Her children grew up in a winter wonderland, with a devoted mother, and a father whose restaurant was appropriately named “Maurice’s.” Trips back to the homeland, Austria, allowed the family the gift of knowing relatives, visiting a country of unbelievable beauty and understanding Anne’s heritage.

Fond of walking, Anne spent almost every evening going for a walk, either looking for mushrooms up Independence Pass, or just going out the back door and into the woods with the children and family dog. Anne loved water, as evidenced by her avid swimming capabilities, and she loved to travel. Her three grandchildren came to know the same loving and caring individual their mom had known.

As a dedicated volunteer at The Thrift Shop of Aspen, Anne also possessed an amazing ability to speak languages, namely French, Austrian, German and Spanish.

In 1990, Anne’s husband retired, and they moved from Aspen to Grand Junction, Colo. Anne and Maurice loved to play tennis and did so often once retired. Shortly after becoming widowed in 2007 because of Maurice’s heart failure, Anne moved to Carbondale, Colo., where she was closer to her sons, Michael and Robert.