Miep Gies (February 15, 1909 - January 11, 2010), born Hermine Santrouschitz in Vienna, Austria, and who later took the Dutch form of her name, died on January 11, 2010 at the age of 100. She is best known for her heroic actions while she was in occupied Amsterdam during World War II. She worked for a small business run by Otto Frank, and while most of her colleagues stayed away before July 1942 because of increased Nazi presence in the city, she continued to work at the office and bring food and necessities to the Frank family who had gone into hiding shortly afterward. For two and a half years, Gies kept the family in contact with the outside world and provided them food. After their capture by the Nazis, Gies kept safe the possessions which the Franks had left behind, including Anne Frank's diary. When the family was set free after the war ended, Gies returned the possessions to them. Gies received numerous awards for her heroic actions, including the highest Dutch order of merit in 1994, the Yad Vashem medal in 1999, and a Dutch civil medal in 2005. In her later years, Gies was an advocate for Holocaust education, traveling to several countries to share her experiences and speak of the importance of peace and tolerance. Throughout her life she was a symbol of strength and courage, and a reminder of the atrocities of the Holocaust.