Erika Lotte Ries

Erika Lotte (Löw) Ries passed into her Lord’s heavenly embrace on April 21, 2023. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Richard, sons Stefan and Thomas, daughter-in-law Sophie (Lampron), brother-in-law James, grandchildren Nicolas, James, and William, nephews Detlef, Greg, Keith, and Mark, and nieces Sabine and Cheryl.

Erika was born on January 30, 1936 in Mainz, Germany to Otto Wilhelm Löw and Gertrude Luise Käthe Löw. In 1963, she was working at the Max Planck Institute in Mainz when she met a young American who moved to Germany for a job at the Institute. That young American was her future husband Richard. The two fell in love as they hiked the Alps and enjoyed adventures all over Europe. After marrying on July 6, 1964 in Budenheim, Germany, they enjoyed a six-year international journey until settling with their two boys in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria, VA in 1970.

She is frequently remembered in her previous community of Stratford Landing for her gardening and animal rescue efforts. After re-homing many displaced animals over the years, she turned that love into a career, beginning with training neighborhood dogs and eventually training working dogs for the Transportation Security Administration, Fairfax County, VA police, and other law enforcement groups.

A long-time parishioner of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, she volunteered for the church in numerous capacities, including youth education and fundraising. Her German cooking was a staple at the annual International Festival.

Erika had a true love of life and will be remembered as a perpetual prankster despite her stern German discipline. She was a kind and loving wife, mother, grandmother, sibling, aunt, and friend. Her legacy will live on through the many lives she touched.

A visitation will begin Monday, May 1, 2023 at 9:30, followed by Mass at 10:30 at Good Shepherd Catholic Church at 8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria, VA. 22309. Commitment will be at 12:00 at Mount Comfort Cemetery at 6600 South Kings Highway, Alexandria, VA 22306.

The family will host a reception immediately following commitment at The Fairfax Community Center, 9140 Belvoir Woods Parkway, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. 

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Erika’s name to either The American Humane Society (https://www.americanhumane.org) or The American Lung Association (https://www.lung.org)