Hildegard Sandhusen, 87, died of natural causes June 3 at Grandview Manor Care Center in Franklin, where she had lived the past few years.

Hildegard capped her long career in professional photography in Macon County, N.C., contributing to publications, exhibiting at institutions, teaching at Southwestern Community College, and publishing two books.

Born on Christmas Day in 1928 in Bremen, Germany, her parents were Henrietta and Herman Sandhusen. She studied with the German photographer Adolf Lazi in Stuttgart. In 1953 she took pictures for Life magazine while on a work permit and soon settled in New York City and became a U.S. citizen. Hildegard's work appeared in numerous publications, and IBM sent her on assignment to various European cities. She also worked as a freelancer for a time in Miami, specializing in aerial photography.
After a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains, she and her friend, the artist Ann Prouty, in 1980 settled in Franklin, N.C. They lived in the Swiss Colony community, where Hildegard set up a studio and continued her prolific photography, working with the Chamber of Commerce, the Macon County Historical Society, and Angel Medical Center, among others. Her book "Little Journeys: A Photo Tour Through Historic Macon County" was published by Teresita Press in 1996. "Look About: A Tour Guide Through Macon & Jackson Counties" was published in 2002.

She will be missed by her many friends, including Narelle Kirkland and Cynthia Strain, and associates in the Macon County region, and by her "second family" in Pennsylvania.

A private service will be arranged by the family at a later date.

Macon Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.

Online condolences can be made at maconfuneralhome.com