January 21, 1931 – March 30th, 2024
On Saturday, March 30th, 2024 at Ottawa Civic Hospital, Klaus Heimann entered into rest peacefully with his family at his side at the age of 93 years.
Klaus Heimann beloved husband of Ursula Heimann, dear father of Peter Heimann, Daniel Heimann (Tina), Barbara Juett (Fred) and Michael Heimann (Jennifer). Cherished grandfather of Christopher Heimann (Nicole), Brandie Aguilar (Andrez), Samantha Juett (Mike), and Carly Juett (Dillon). Great grandfather of Caroline, Elizabeth, Sadie and Ellie. Klaus has numerous nieces and nephews in Germany.
Klaus was born and raised in Berlin Germany attending high school during WW2. During an air raid in Berlin on November 22, 1943, all belongings of the Heimann family were lost and they moved to a small garden house outside Berlin in Brieselang. After World War II, Brieselang became part of the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. There, he apprenticed three years as a druggist graduating in 1949.
The political situation became very restricted in Brieselang, so the family moved to the British occupied part of Berlin. After 9 months of unemployment, Klaus found work as a clerk in a drugstore. Then, partly for economic reasons and partly for adventure-seeking, he immigrated to Canada via ship on the “MS Arosa Kulm” leaving Bremerhaven Germany on July 31, 1954 and landing in Quebec City on August 9, 1954. He took up residence in Montreal working as a photo finisher and dry cleaning agent until August 1955. Lured by rumours of high wages in Sudbury Ontario, he hopped on a bus to Sudbury and worked laying railroad tracks and in construction in the Levack-Onaping area. On February 14, 1956 he was hired by the International Nickel Company (Inco) as a miner. In January 1957, the work was interrupted by a CP rail strike, so he returned to Berlin where he married Ursula Rodig on January 19, 1957. He then returned by air to Canada where he and his bride resided in Sudbury until September 1958 when there was a strike at Inco. The happy couple then moved to Marathon Ontario where Klaus found work as a drugstore manager. Long working hours and little leisure time prompted a move back to Sudbury where he was rehired at Inco in April 1960 as a miner at Levack mine. In December 1961, the family moved into their own house in Dowling Ontario. Besides a brief period of 1962-1964 where Klaus took up a Fuller Brush dealership, he worked tirelessly at Inco until he retired on August 1, 1991.
While Klaus always had a strong work ethic providing for his family, he also had a great love of nature and the outdoors. He always enjoyed hunting and fishing in the summers and cross-country skiing in the winters. We all have fond memories of tobogganing with Klaus on the hills at High Falls. As the children were growing up, camping at Grundy Lake Provincial Park became the summer standard. From a tent trailer to a travel trailer, Klaus took his family on many trips including the East Coast and Manitoulin Island. In 1977, Klaus purchased 3 acres of waterfront property right on the North Shore of Manitoulin Island and that’s where the final 29’ travel trailer was parked. Klaus was always very welcoming for family and friends to come spend time together at the camp.
Klaus always liked to sing and dance, having fun getting dressed up for Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest celebrations with friends.
Upon retirement, Klaus and Usch loved to travel to the Caribbean resorts in the winter. Throughout the decades, Klaus was a devout Catholic attending mass weekly and donated much of his time to the church including rebuilding the new church in Dowling and his involvement in the German Catholic Church Organization in Sudbury.