Born in 1899 in Appenzell to a broderie lace producer, Wilhelmina Heeb, Mimi for short, married Carl Eduard Bucherer in 1921. They then moved to Santiago de Chile, where together they built up a jewellery and watch business. Although still very young, she was already a well-travelled and exceptionally able woman, competent both socially and in business. She was much appreciated as a charming and kind-hearted young woman.

The summer of 1927 found her alone on business in Switzerland. In the autumn, she travelled to Italy, where she boarded the elegant steamer the “Principessa Mafalda” in Genoa, bound for South America. The crossing was not particularly smooth and the ship had to stop time and again due to engine trouble. Shortly after midnight on October 25th, 1927, a faulty propeller shaft started leaking water into the engine room, tipping the ship with its four masts within a very short space of time. The boat then sank, taking with it 314 passengers and crew, amongst them Mimi Bucherer-Heeb.