Countess Stoeffel | |
|---|---|
 A 1919 photo of "Gretchen" Wood | |
| Born | Margarita Gager 1874 (1874) |
| Died | June 19, 1928(1928-06-19) (aged 53–54) |
| Occupations | Physician, Opera Singer, Actress |
| Spouse(s) | Fischer "Count' Lewis K. Stoeffel W. O. Wood Herbert Henshall Carl H. Ustick |
Margaret “Gretchen” Ustick (akaCountess Stoeffel; 1874 – June 19, 1928) was an American actress.
Mrs. Wood, as she was known, was born Margarita Gager in 1874, Vienna, Austria. She married a German national named Fischer and on December 22, 1896, inTodtmoos,Waldshut,Baden-Württemberg,Germany they had one child, Phillip Heinrich Carl Fischer. Margarita and Fischer divorced in 1900. Margarita returned home to Vienna and in 1898, with the help ofCount Louis K. Stoeffel of theArbon Castle atLake Maggiore atTicino, she regained custody of her son. She later married "Count" Stoeffel, and it was in Switzerland in 1900 that her son, Heinrich Carl Fischer, was abducted by his father's family.[1][2]
Mrs. Wood was the first woman in Europe to attain a degree of doctor of medicine from theUniversity of Vienna and permitted to practice abroad. She gained much fame thru her skill as a practicing physician and surgeon.[3]
Mrs. Wood studied opera inMilan,Italy underFritzi Scheff and gave concerts inVienna,Milan andParis.[4]
After the death of "Count" Stoeffel, around 1909, Mrs. Wood married William O. Wood a wealthyPhiladelphia businessman, who died in 1913. Together they owned land inWyoming and inColorado including the Wigwam Ranch inJefferson County, Colorado, later renamed the Flying G. Ranch and owned by Girl Scouts.Edsel Ford made a stop at Mrs. Wood's Wigwam Ranch on July 1, 1915, as part of his Transcontinental Tour.[5]
In 1917 she had a Colorado Delegation address Congress in an attempt to get the Defense Department to make an exception and allow her to work as a physician for the United States Military in support of the war effort.[6]
In 1919, Mrs. Wood founded theArt-O-Graf film company ofDenver,Colorado,[7] and she was on the board of directors.
In 1920 Mrs. Wood was an actress in the films;Wolves of the Street andThe Desert Scorpion.
In 1919, Mrs. Wood was contacted by her son, Heinrich Carl Fischer, through the International Red Cross. He had been a German Officer and was wounded and thought to be dying, he asked the physicians to find his mother in America.[8] The mother and son were reunited February 11, 1922, in Denver.[9] He changed his name to Harry Carl Fischer and worked for theAlexander Film Company as a cameraman.
In 1920 she was married to Herbert Henshall in Golden, Colorado whom she divorced only two years later. Then in 1923 she married Clark Henry Ustick, also in Golden, Colorado. She died June 19, 1928, in Los Angeles, California.[10]
Media related toCountess Stoeffel at Wikimedia Commons