Ursula Else Mimi Herfurth, 81, of Hickory passed away Tuesday January 14 peacefully in her home. Ursula was born January 21, 1938 in Gottingen Germany, the daughter of Auguste and Georg Gobel. She grew up during World War II with very limited means and lived her life frugally with great discipline. She had a passion for doing things the right way and took pride in being thorough, punctual, and organized. Ursula married the love of her life Heinz Juergen in Hong Kong and they immigrated to the United States on a boat passing the Statue of Liberty in 1963. They were both so proud the day they became US citizens. She believed in hard, honest work and personal responsibility. She shared her opinions unflinchingly and without apology. Her love and commitment were to raising her family. Ursula was a devoted wife, a strong and loving mother, and really enjoyed being a grandmother, "Oma", for her 6 granddaughters. The family will forever be blessed by Oma's Sunday dinner gatherings, summer beach weeks on Hilton Head Island, as well as by the intricate needle artwork she created with her loving hands. In addition to her parents she is preceded in death by her husband of 38 years. Those left to cherish her memory are her son Ralf and wife Helen of Bad Soden Germany; son Tom and wife Fran of Hickory, NC; brother Gerd Gobel of Hamburg, Germany; sister Edel Hartwig of Munich, Germany; and 6 grandchildren, Mary and husband Jon Gaegler of Nashville, Tennessee; Jessica of Washington, DC; Kathryn and Amy of Hickory, NC; Stefanie and Carolyn of Bad Soden, Germany. Funeral services and burial will be held at Forest Lawn Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. Bass Smith Funeral Home in Hickory is serving the family of Ursula Herfurth. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation www.jdrf.org.