Frauke Hankamer passed away on 1 March 2025.  Born in 1938 in Germany, she travelled to the USA in 1957, and met Ernie Hankamer on the ship returning them both to Germany in the autumn of 1958.  They married in Munich in 1962 and stayed in Germany while Ernie completed his doctorate at Munich University.

Frauke was an integral member of the UMUC community.  After working at the Munich Campus, Ernie moved to the UK to be Area Director for the UK and Iceland, during which time Frauke taught German classes at bases throughout the UK while remaining involved with her church and numerous charitable organisations.  When Ernie was appointed Dean of Maryland’s Schwäbisch Gmund Campus, Frauke was instrumental in building and maintaining relationships with the local political and social communities.  After retiring from the administration, Frauke and Ernie travelled and taught extensively in both the Asian and European Divisions.  

They retired in Bonn and, after Ernie’s death in 2016, Frauke moved to the beautiful Cotswold town of Painswick to be near her daughter Judy, while her son, Ben, visited frequently from Australia.  In the last years of her life, Frauke remained actively involved in the Painswick church community and with the charitable organisations she supported.