Wilhelm Albrecht

After 68 years of marriage, Elisabeth will feel his loss deeply. They did everything together. The only times that they were separated was when one or the other was hospitalized.

Wilhelm was the lovely father to Diana (Ron). Proud and cherished grandfather to Tyler, Connor and Cole (Natasia). Dear older brother to Vera Botter and uncle to nieces and nephews in Germany.

Predeceased by his parents, Friedrich and Martha Albrecht, his sister Ilse Jung and in-laws, Henry and Elisabeth Nagel.

Wilhelm arrived in Canada in 1951 through a work program in northern Ontario. He eventually made his way to Kitchener where he met the love of his life, Elisabeth. They got married at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on March 31, 1956.

He worked at BG Goodrich Uniroyal until he took early retirement in his 50s. He did not retire but continued to work on a farm in New Dundee. Wilhelm and Elisabeth fixed up an old farmhouse and moved there in 1978. He stopped farming the land in the 1990s but continued cut grass and chop wood for their wood furnace until 2023.

In his younger days he had been a goaltender for the Concordia Soccer Club. He loved to dance. Wilhelm and Elisabeth were members of the Schwaben Club and attended most of the dances held there with good friends.

He loved swimming and took his daughter and grandsons to various beaches in Ontario. He attended as many of his grandsons’ activities as he could.

Wilhelm and Elisabeth went into the retirement home in September for respite care and he wanted to stay there since he was not looking forward to another winter on the farm.

Thank you so much to the staff at Chartwell Westmount, St Mary’s Hospital, the Palliative Care team and Warm Embrace PSWs for looking after Wilhelm these last couple of months.

While in the retirement home, special thanks to Werner and Alice, Rev Wendy, Karen and Randy for their regular visits and to other friends who visited them occasionally.

To celebrate his life, the visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 15th from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at Westmount Memorial Celebration Centre, 1001 Ottawa St. S., Kitchener, followed by a memorial service at 12:00 pm. Afterwards, there will be a reception provided by the Women’s Association of St. Andrew’s. A private interment will be held at Woodland Cemetery following the reception.

In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church TV Ministry would be greatly appreciated.