Letter about grandpa funeral

The following is a letter written by Erica and Agnes describing the last year and funeral of their father (and my grandpa), Heinrich H. Klassen. (lightly edited by Bob Klassen).

December 4, 1972

Because so many of you have written asking for more particulars concerning Dad’s death, we decided to put it down in writing.

Although Dad had certainly been aging rather rapidly in the past year, his death came as a shock just the same. We were planning a birthday celebration for him on Saturday, Nov. 11th. Dietrich and Alma were coming from Ohio, Harry was coming from Sarnia, and Ted and Agnes Jordan, coming from St. Catherines were to bring Dad along with them. We had hoped also to have the uncles and possibly, Aunt Margaret from New Hamburg, but they said that couldn’t come. Uncle Con, having suffered a heart attack last winter and still experiencing some discomfort, didn’t feel up to driving to Toronto. He thought he would be a hazard to others if he did so. Aunt Margaret is in very poor health (she has terminal cancer and you wonder how long she can last). Dad was really looking forward to his birthday and it was too bad that he didn’t live to see it. At least he had the pleasure of anticipation.

He began to have severe chest pains on Monday night, November 6. Just before midnight, he got out of bed and walked across the hall to tell his friend, Mr. Penner.  Mr. Penner phoned the nursing station and helped him back to bed. When the nurse described Dad’s symptoms to the doctor, he called an ambulance and Dad was taken to East Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby. He was put in intensive care for observation-they thought he might be having a heart attack. Margaret Janzen, the nurse at the Altenheim and our very good friend, phoned us at 3 o'clock in the morning to tell us that they had just left dad in the hospital, that he had severe chest pain, probably a heart attack, and that he was in for observation. She said not to be alarmed but she had given our phone number to the hospital in case there was any change in Dad’s condition. The nurse from the hospital phoned me at the office about 8:45 am and said that dad’s condition was rapidly deteriorating, that he had had a massive coronary thrombosis and that we should come if we wanted to see him. I phoned Ohio and Sarnia and Agnes Jordan. Margaret, Erica and I left immediately but we were still too late. He died at 10:06 am. When Agnes Jordan called the hospital at the school recess, he was already gone. We arrived shortly after 10:30. The nurse said he had been lucid all the time but had suffered great pain and shock. We were sorry we were not there, even just to hold his hand, but it was not to be. We then went to Vineland to make arrangements for the funeral.

Harry didn’t get to Vineland until mid-afternoon, and Dietrich, Alma and Edi came about 7 o’clock. The Jordans were marvelous. They arranged meals and beds and provided a home away from home for all of us. We drove back to Toronto for the night on the 6th, but the Dietrich Klassens stayed with the Jordans. On Wednesday night, Harry also stayed with the Jordans and we three ladies ( I nearly said girls) stayed at the Janzens.

On Wednesday, friends came to call at the Tallman Funeral Home in Vineland, and on Thursday, the body was brought to the Altenheim in the morning so that the people there could pay their respects. The funeral was at 2 pm on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the St. Catherines United Mennonite Church on Linwell Road. The Reverend Norman Bergen officiated and his text was taken from Psalm 37, verses 3 to 5. The Reverend Abram Klassen from Queenston spoke in German, also in the same vein. The Ladies Choir sang a number of hymns and helped with the congregational singing. Mr. Bergen related a homely little incident, which I think was a fine tribute to my father. A young boy who used to live across the street from our folks on Coronation Boulevard is now a 12 year-old singer in a youth choir in St. Catherines. In the past week,  his choir went to the Vineland Church to give a concert and Dennis was looking forward to seeing Dad in the congregation. However, Dad wasn't there and when he came home he told his mother that he hadn’t seen him. Then, when he was told of dad’s death, his eyes filled with tears and he said, “ Oh no, not that nice Mr. Klassen.” He was there at the funeral parlor with his parents to pay his respects. There must have been a really nice relationship between the little boy and the old man.

Another special friend that Dad had was Mrs. Ilona Brosnan. She is the estranged wife of the doctor whose office dad used to clean after he retired from the hospital. He used to walk her dog, cut her grass while he was still able, clean her riding boots and discuss her handling of horses. They became very good friends, especially after Dr. Brosnan left Ilona. Dad was like a father confessor to her. She was marvelous to him after he went to the Home. She visited him, took him for drives (the African Lion Safari was one of their favorite haunts), remembering his birthdays and attended the Altenheim bazaars and picnics. However, she says that she needed him as much as he needed her. Her comment, “He was so sweet”.

Mary Shellenberg wasn’t able to come from Vernon, B.C. Dietrich’s children and Regina’s husband were there. Judy and Brian Jordan were also there. Harry didn’t arrange for his family to come because he felt they were still rather upset since their mother’s death last July. Uncle Nick and Uncle Con and their wives were there from New Hamburg. Dad’s cousins, Alex Klassen and Louise Neufeld, from Kitchener came with the uncles also. A lot of friends attended, many of whom we hadn’t met before.

Pallbearers were Paul Dirksen, Herman Peters, George Riekman, John Janzen (Margaret Janzen’s brother), Albin Weinberger (a former neighbor from Coronation Boulevard) and Jack Tait (a friend of ours with whom on one memorable occasion had attended the Lippizaner Horse Show in Toronto).

After internment at Victoria Lawn Cemetery in St. Catherines, the ladies of the church served coffee and rolls in the church hall. Afterwards, the Jordans invited the family, pallbearers and close friends back to their house. All of us returned to our homes that evening.

Many friends and relatives have expressed their kindness and sympathy. The floral tributes were all beautiful. Donations were made to the Heart Fund, to the Gideon Society and to the Altenheim in Vineland. Cards and letters have come since. We are indeed grateful.

To quickly review Dad’s failing health, I should tell you that he was his usual self last December when we took him to Sarnia to spend Christmas with Marg and Harry and the family. Although his hearing was bad and his reactions pretty slow, he was alert and attentive when people talked with him. At Easter, we picked him up at Vineland on Good Friday and brought him to our place for the weekend. He was terribly slow. For instance, it simply took ages for his fork to move from his plate to his mouth. And the most obvious change was the absence of his cheery smile. We took him to church on Easter morning and in the afternoon drove to New Hamburg to visit Aunt Margaret. She noticed the change in him too and remarked on it. We had thought perhaps we would leave him there to visit for a while, but realized that he wasn’t well enough to be left. So we drove him back to the Home that same night. He had had a bad cold and taken some medications so we thought perhaps that accounted for his very slow reactions. 

After Easter, also the uncles picked him up for a few days visit in New Hamburg. He had a marvelous time and particularly enjoyed a get-together with his sisters and brothers and cousins.

In June, we took him to visit Dick and the family and to attend Henry’s graduation from High School. He found the trip extremely long and he was really fatigued. Dietrich noticed a very big change in him too. Then too, at Marg’s funeral in July he was in very good form. 

In September, we took him with us to visit the Janzens in St. Catherines for a few hours. He had a nice visit with Mrs. Janzen, chatting about “Fruther”, and later Marg showed us holiday pictures from Newfoundland. He remarked what a good time he had had. 

So, you can see that he was well and yet not well. We are grateful that he was spared a long and lingering illness. We will miss him, but it was a good way for him to go.

The Altenheim in Vineland is a marvelous place. Dad had a good home there. Recently, I read an old clipping called “Der Bote”, where he described an Altenheim picnic and his feelings about the care and love that surrounded him there. We owe Mr. and Mrs. Kaethler and all the rest of the staff a very great debt of gratitude.

We have asked Uncle Victor Guenther in Winnipeg to translate and edit a “Nachruf” for Der Bote. Hopefully, it will appear sometime in the near future.

To all of you, our most sincere thanks. It is good to know that our parents are so warmly remembered by so many of you.

Erica and Agnes Klassen