Fritz Peter Branschofsky - accomplished athlete, exacting engineer, and world traveler - died Sunday, January 7, 2024, in Middlebury, VT, after a long illness. He was 91.
Born in Vienna, Austria, on August, 21, 1932, Fritz’s love of mountains was instilled by his parents, Ilona (Reisz) and Franz Branschofsky. At an age when most children are learning nursery rhymes, Fritz had already summitted Austria’s highest peak -- the Grossglockner -- the youngest person ever to do so. But in 1938 the Nazis annexed Austria, obliterating his idyllic childhood. As a half-Jewish “mischling,” he was denied access to academic programs, yet a concerned teacher masked Fritz’s identity, allowing him to accompany his class when it was evacuated to the mountains. This act of kindness not only rescued Fritz from the bombing of Vienna but also stoked his passion for skiing which, as he frequently recalled, excited him more than school. Still, it was his intellectual promise that gained him a scholarship to study in Scotland at the end of the war.
In 1951, the Branschofskys emigrated to Canada, but only Fritz had the language skills necessary to find employment. At the age of 20, he was both finishing his degree and also supporting his entire family as he began working in the aeronautics industry. Five years later, the family moved to the New York City area, where Fritz advanced his career as a mechanical engineer.
Whether on the slopes or in the water, Fritz was a tremendous athlete. As a young man in Canada, he competed at the national level in water polo as well as ski patrolling at Mont Tremblant. Once in the United States, he discovered Mad River Glen. To be close to it, in 1966 he designed and built his beloved chalet in Granville, VT. Upon taking a management position at Simmonds Precision -- later BF Goodrich -- in Vergennes, he and his wife, Isabelle, moved up full time. The marriage later ended in an amicable divorce. A champion of Mad River’s terrain and community, Fritz served as a ski patroller for nearly two decades and became one of the original co-op owners.
It was at Mad River Glen that Fritz met his life partner, Vivian. A novice skier, she had injured her knee -- a lucky accident. The couple married in 1981 and together launched a life of adventure. They raced sailboats on Lake Champlain, and as half-owners of “Showtime,” had the winningest boat on the lake in 1988. Their travels often took them off the beaten path -- from the top of the world in Nepal to the tip of South America in Patagonia. Whether scuba diving in Papua, New Guinea or hot air ballooning in Tanzania, walking the Great Wall in China or taking a turn at 150 mph in a race car in Quebec, they pushed far beyond the confines of their small town life, evidenced by an impressive collection of indigenous masks from all over the world.
When Fritz retired in 1997 after 28 years at Simmonds, he helped Vivian grow her gardening business, designing and building her greenhouse and becoming the self-proclaimed vice president of engineering and maintenance. He enjoyed interacting with the customers who were charmed by his botanical acumen: “This is what I know,” he told them. “That's a red one, that's a blue one and that's a yellow one."
Fritz is survived by his wife of 42 years, Vivian Leigh Branschofsky; his sister, Margret Branschofsky; his niece, Julia Lippert and nephew, Jonathan Lippert; and many loving friends who will miss his stylish turns on Fall Line and his extraordinary stories. A celebration of his life is planned at Mad River Glen this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Fritz’s honor to the Dementia Society of America or your favorite charitable organization.
Arrangements under the direction of Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Home, Middlebury, VT.
Online condolences at: www.sandersonfuneralservice.com
