FARMINGTON – Wealthy retired Phillips doctor Margarete J. “Gretl” Hoch died June 24 in Germany, in the midst of legal proceedings over her welfare and assets.

Ralf Simon and his wife, Nadine, of Spain, relatives of Hoch, both said Monday by telephone that they received word Hoch had died.

Ralf Simon, who initially had power of attorney over Hoch’s German affairs, is a diplomat to the German Embassy. He used to spend summers in Phillips with his aunt.

“She was a very important person in my life,” he said.

Hoch, 84, formerly of Phillips, had practiced medicine in Franklin County for 40 years before she decided to move to Germany in late 2004 to be near where her parents died. Her assets that year were estimated to be $7 million, according to court documents.

She lived in her parents’ home until deciding to stay temporarily at the Haturhotel Hessische Schwiez spa run by John and Gudrun Stifel, who eventually took over power of attorney for her, setting off a legal battle.

Richard and Lorraine Chandler of Strong were granted a temporary restraining order in Franklin County Superior Court in Farmington in October 2007 against the Stifels of Meinhard, Germany, and Mary Wagner-Burkhardt of Alexandria, Ky.

The court order upheld the Chandlers’ power of attorney over Hoch’s affairs, including financial, that she had granted to them in 2001, and voided all other purported powers of attorney until a court order declared otherwise.

Their attorney, Thimi Mina, confirmed Tuesday he received word of Hoch’s death Friday.

“The case doesn’t die because she dies,” Mina said. “We’re in an incredibly confused state of law right now. We may be implicating both Maine probate law proceedings as well as ongoing civil action.”

According to Justice Joseph Jabar’s order, the decision was based on substantial evidence of abuse and intimidation against Hoch.

Franklin County Justice Michaela Murphy found the German couple in contempt of court in May after they failed to provide an accounting of Hoch’s money, wills and other official documents and failed to appear in court.

Nadine Simon said she and her husband took care of Hoch in Germany until the Stifels came into the picture and convinced Hoch the Simons were against her.

Both Simons traveled to Germany to help Hoch with different matters, including failing health.

“We tried so hard. She was a good person,” Nadine Simon said. “She was a very strong person.”

“My aunt’s situation was quite dramatic and developed into a bad situation,” Ralf Simon said. “She told me at one time that she shouldn’t have come back to Germany.”

He was granted power of attorney over Hoch’s German financial affairs in summer 2006, but it was revoked in November that year and allegedly granted to Gudrun Stifel in January 2007, according to court documents. That was prior to the temporary restraining order granted in Franklin County.

The court is trying to sort it all out, Mina said.

“What’s upsetting is what we wanted to avoid has happened,” he said.

Attorneys were trying to get all of Hoch’s financial documents into the hands of the court before Hoch died.

“This is all a terrible shame,” Mina said.