Obituary
Klaus Dieter Heinze was called home on May 2nd 2022 in Belleville, Ontario, at the age of 82.
His full name was Klaus Dieter Hermann Horst Heinze but he rarely used that, although the extra H’s did come in handy for use in passwords. His mother and Oma both called him «Klaus Dieter!!!» when he was caught misbehaving, which was often, and even long afterwards this was a good way to get his attention.
Klaus was born in Berlin, Germany during WW2, on January 10th 1940. He was still a child when the war ended and was largely unaffected by it, so he had no war stories to tell. He received most of his education at the Waldorf School and then he completed an apprenticeship in auto mechanics. That would serve him well later on, although he would have preferred to work with wood. He said that it was like living in two different worlds as he moved back & forth between the rough world of the shop floor and the more genteel world his family and friends inhabited. Sometimes one would bleed into the other and that didn’t go over well in either world, especially not the language of the shop floor!
Klaus really wanted to learn English and Canada was the first English-speaking country to open its doors to him. He emigrated, landing in Toronto in 1962, leaving behind family and friends and his first great love, Angela. He found a place to live, and a job, and he met his second great love, Anne Hardy, whom he married in 1963. More great loves came from that union, first a son, then a daughter, followed by five grandchildren who knew him as their Opa.
Much of his working life was spent in the automotive industry, holding various positions from Field and Dealer Representative to District Manager with Volkswagen Canada and as Service Manager for several dealerships. He got to drive a lot of great cars! He tried his hand at real estate, and after he and Anne separated in 1985, he worked at the German Pavilion during Expo 86 in Vancouver, and finally brought all of his many skills to the Goethe-Institut in Vancouver, until it closed in 1999. Klaus gave 110% to every one of his endeavours because that was who he was.
He and his family moved around a lot while the children were growing up, his work taking them from Toronto to Regina, twice to Kamloops, then to North Vancouver and Calgary before they finally settled in Maple Ridge, BC.
Klaus always called himself a groundskeeper and in 1986 he got a chance to practice that after meeting his third great love, Faye. (He also loved her mother.) He and Faye moved to a fixer-upper rural property full of tall trees that he came to call Happy Acres. He put 110% of himself into improving that place and his energy seemed boundless. He was always driven, wherever he lived, to put things in order, create & build things or improve on what was already there. He always had an idea and a plan, and he would tackle almost anything in his meticulous fashion. He was sad to leave his Happy Acres in 2008 but took a leap of faith and moved with his partner to Nova Scotia as she followed her own dream. After a rocky start, he found new volunteer opportunities and, as he did everywhere he went, he made heart connections to a lot of new friends.
Along the way, Klaus became interested in spirituality and pursued that for the rest of his life. He volunteered with AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) in BC, attending workshops in prisons and visiting inmates. He went to Quester’s conferences in BC. Several Native Elders came into his life, teaching him about their own spirituality and crafts. He took part in sweat lodges and was taught how to conduct them in prison. He started making what he called Natively Inspired Artifacts: drums, rattles and much more, and he continued with that work until his last days. He attended gatherings at the Sanctuary, a magical place in Grand Forks, BC. He was a regular vendor at his local Farmer’s Market in Nova Scotia and continued with that as best he could after he moved to Ontario in 2020, where he lived with his daughter. The Flight of Fancy Gallery in Bear River, NS, displayed and sold his work. He went on a men’s retreat in BC and attended Sun Dances and Potlatches in BC, New Brunswick & Nova Scotia, and he read voraciously about many other faiths and practices. He bloomed, and he wanted enlightenment, and he wanted it right now!
He loved working with young people but he was over the moon whenever he connected to people of any age, creed or color who lit him up. He would actually ask people he’d just met this question, out of the blue, taking many aback, «What lights you up?»
Klaus, in his own words:
«My name is Klaus and I am the maker of these Natively Inspired artifacts. In these items I express my passion for the ancient Native Teachings, All-My-Relations.»
«I wear my name tag and this opens doors. I play with an open deck, and I’m more of a giver than a taker. I am not judgemental of colour, creed or nationality. My heart flowers & sings when I meet awake and conscious folks. I am a Pagan and a groundskeeper. My Deity is the Black Mother, a Wiccan belief. I stay away from doctrine religion. I enjoy my freedom. I have been blessed in knowing the most special folks who I call my friends and teachers, as I maintain that I do not know anything.»
Klaus was predeceased by his parents, Albert Hermann Heinze and Gerda Heinze-Watermann, his stepfather Dr. Carl Watermann, and his sister Barbara Beiersdorf, all of Berlin, Germany.
He leaves behind his great loves: Angela Rudzinsky (Berlin); Anne Heinze (BC); Faye Ketola (NS); his son John Heinze (BC); his daughter Karen Cummings (ON); and his grandchildren Nelson and Mackenzie Cummings (ON); Karsten and Jarod Heinze (BC); Miranda Heinze (Australia) and many friends, whom he also loved. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.
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January 10 1940
May 2 2022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Klaus Dieter Heinze January 10 1940
May 2 2022..
Décès pour la Ville:Campbellford, Province: Ontario
avis deces Klaus Dieter Heinze January 10 1940
May 2 2022
avis mortuaire Klaus Dieter Heinze January 10 1940
May 2 2022