Margot Lieselotte Haagen

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Margot Lieselotte Haagen, on Saturday, August 8, 2020, in the arms of her beloved granddaughter Courtney. Born May 1, 1927 to Otto and Karolina Fuchs in Wurzburg, Germany, Margot is predeceased by her son Norman (1983); her husband, Fred Haagen (2000); and her partner in later life, Gerhard (Gary) Bluhm (2011). She is survived by her children, Claudia (David), Sylvia (Neil), Anita (Randy) and Peter (Moira); and her grandchildren Max, Emma, Courtney, Molly, Myles and Alexandra.

Margot and Fred met in the aftermath of WW2 in Frankfurt, Germany, married in 1949 and immigrated to Canada in 1952 with Claudia, their firstborn. They shared many memories and stories from their early years with their children, and their lives during that era are commemorated in family pictures and stories.

Margot was a passionate learner. While raising five children, Margot went back to school in 1966. She obtained her high school degree, and went on to acquire her Bachelor’s degree from Simon Fraser University in 1971. She earned additional credentials from UBC as a specialist in English as a second language (ESL) in 1973 and undertook graduate studies at UBC from 1976 to 1978. Our home was often filled in those years with professors and students who would debate the issues of the day with our mother and our father. She enjoyed those debates with friends and colleagues well into her eighties.

Margot was also a passionate teacher. She taught at John Oliver in Vancouver, and for many years at Hillside Secondary in West Vancouver. After retirement, she was a tutor in ESL. Her experience as an immigrant to Canada in the past helped her connect to the contemporary experience of her ESL students. She would often invite her students and their families to have a family dinner together at our home.

Margot loved to travel with her partner, Gary Bluhm, in later years. They had a lifetime of memories together; first as long-time family friends and then as partners after our father died. We are grateful to Gary’s children, Carol, Erica, and Sylvia for sharing memories of their time together. Margot and Gary were a blessing to each other.

Margot was an adventurous and intrepid spirit. She was a fighter in her youth and in her old age. She leaves her children and grandchildren with a legacy of courage and perseverance and much more. We are proud of our mother and grandmother and we are richer for the lessons she taught us. Like us all, she was a traveler in this word, and she will live on in our memories.

Margot’s final message to her children and her grandchildren was “I love you”. She was much loved and will be dearly missed by all.

We would like to thank the staff at Evergreen House for their care of our mother in these perilous times of Covid-19. Special thanks to Jenna Johnson who made it possible for our family to connect to our mother through FaceTime. Her care and her thoughtfulness bolstered us in our time of sorrow.

A memorial will be held at Capilano View Cemetery, Section ‘E’ on Friday August 21, 2020 at 2:15pm. May our mother and our grandmother, Margot, rest in peace.