3 days ago
Father and daughter who died on Mt. Katahdin were on a ‘bucket list' hike, family says
Both had been exposed to cold, wet and windy conditions during the hike, which was supposed to be completed in one day using the Abol Trail, the shortest route to the top
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Timothy was an avid outdoorsman 'who loved bee-keeping, camping, and hiking. What drew both him and Esther to high places was always the view – the broad expanse of God's handiwork, laid out below them," according to an online obituary. 'The unbearable tragedy of their passing aside, it is perhaps fitting that they went Home from a mountain top: a place of danger and solitude, but also, a place close to God.'
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Esther Keiderling was a 2015 graduate of The Mount Academy, the Bruderhof high school who loved writing poetry and English literature, the obituary said. Gifts from her would often include a personalized poem, according to the online obituary published June 6.
'Quieter than her father, Esther was a sensitive, deeply-thinking woman who loved reading and writing, with a particular interest in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Edna St. Vincent Millay,' according to the online obituary.
Both father and
In a statement on social media, the company had said Tim Keiderling worked as a sales and customer service representative since 2020, and Esther joined the team in 2023.
'We are deeply saddened to tell our friends and customers of the death of two members of our Rifton family,' the statement said. 'Tim Keiderling and his daughter, Esther, went missing on a hike over the weekend after encountering difficult weather conditions. First responders have since found both succumbed to exposure.'
Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Annemarie, and three other daughters, Sophie, Heidi, and Katherine, two sons Karl and Timothy and two granddaughters, Eden and Ilana, according to the online obituary.
John R. Ellement can be reached at
