Rudy Klassen

There are no words to describe the sense of loss we feel, of wondering how to move forward without his strength, wisdom and love.

Rudy was Born January 7th ,1945 in the small town Wolka Poland, during his family's perilous escape from Ukraine to Germany at the end of WWII. He was three years old when the family immigrated to Canada in 1948 being fortunate enough to have been sponsored by family to settle in Winnipeg to start a new life.

Rudy, the second youngest of 8 children often described his family life as loving, happy, and most importantly safe and secure. Living in a large family often necessitated children to share in caring for one another, and Rudy was no exception, teaching him responsibility and commitment for others at an early age. As children they had many adventures together and Rudy was always there to take charge and protect them. His little brother Willy got into trouble , as little brothers do and Rudy faithfully looked out for him. One well told story is Willy putting firecrackers in his pocket which exploded and the boys, being scared to tell their Mom necessitated Rudy tending to Willy’s burns by himself as best he could. Willy being hit by a car after running out in front of a bus required quick thinking for Rudy again, in taking responsibility and handling a serious event. Protecting Peter was a daily Responsibility for Rudy, ensuring without question that he was included and participating in any social setting that Rudy had in his own life.

Rudy grew up with many neighbourhood friends where kids played outdoors in all seasons, skating , playing baseball, hide and seek, recreating Davey Crocket scenarios and just having lots of innocent fun together often staying out until the streets light came on. Rudy’s greatest fantasy as a little boy, was for a damaged spaceship having to land in his backyard and he would be the only one to have the exact tool the aliens needed to repair their ship and safely return to space. Spoiler alert…it never happened.

As a child of the fifties and sixties, living in North Kildonan, Rudy attended both Princess Margaret , and Lord Kitchener schools then on to MBCI , an opportunity for which he was humbly grateful for, knowing. the financial burden it placed on his family. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce in 1968 , tuition earned throughout his college years by many hours of employment at Zellers on Henderson Hwy.

Rudy and I met as teenagers, I was 16 and he 18 and from that day on we never looked back. It’s difficult to describe or explain, our relationship was….from the very beginning, just right, we’d found our missing piece in each other. He was quiet, honest, confident and stood for what was right no matter the cost . He had a deep trust in God , a quiet faith that guided him always. He was raised in the Mennonite Brethren tradition and felt secure in the spiritual significance of his baptism . The Bible he received at his baptism, remained always at his beside, no matter where our home has been.

Shortly after we married on June 27th, 1969 he made the big move to branch out on his own, career wise, from the Hudson Bay Company to join forces with his dear and trusted friend Brian Harack. Together they established a successful partnership, Harack Klassen Agencies which flourished for many years, providing both our families with financial security and peace of mind in raising our families comfortably.

In the seventies , we were blessed with three amazing children, Susan in 1972, Katherine in 1974, and David, our baby boy, 1978. Life was full and unfolding as we thought it should. Summers were happy and full of laughter at our cottage on Royal Lake. It was there that the art of knee boarding, waterskiing , jet skiing and fishing (Paul) were ever present. Our yearly “ May Long” gatherings forged long lasting memories and familial bonds with the Haracks and our connection remains today. Royal Lake was (and is) a very spiritual place for us, where Katherine and David have left their everlasting presence.

Through 55 years of being together we weathered deep sorrow with the loss of our children David and Katherine. We experienced great joy with our daughter Susan and the birth of our two beautiful granddaughters, Maddie and Hannah, who have saved our world. Rudy’s love for them is deep and forever lasting. Their relationship with their beloved “GF” was magical and they will miss him always. We were grateful to have been given this past year to prepare and walk with them in saying goodbye. Our eldest Susan will miss her father terribly and we are thankful for her protective love for us. Her constant support, especially throughout this last year has been a comfort. My many thanks to our son law John for his patience and expertise in dealing with Rudy’s “questions and clarifications” on all things technical ( laptops, internet ) Rudy’s lifeline to the outside world this past year especially with his fastidious handling of all necessary financial accounting and legal documentation.

Few really knew of the commitments Rudy quietly fulfilled throughout his life. He was the person that would always pick up the phone, be there when you needed him and give solid advice when you asked. Never was that more evident than coping with the tragic loss of our son David. The emotional trauma for our family was staggering and Rudy got us through to a point where we could breathe again. Life continued and slowly evolved into a wounded existence. We adopted protective mechanisms to survive a new world without David.

Once again when our Katherine became ill, we saw him immediately become the protector and motivator of what to do next. Without hesitation he was continuously by her side, devoted to all aspects of her physical and emotional needs, easing her fears, giving her hope, and advocating whenever the need would arise.

His devoted love for me, for our daughter Susan , and Maddie and Hannah carried him through a year that he selflessly devoted to planning and preparing behind the scene to hand over his responsibilities, his role to me in a way that protected and would maintain our tiny family unit after his departure flawlessly accomplished with one last reminder to me, “ Linden, clear your email, PLEASE” , and remember “ you’re going to be ok” .

Rudy is survived by his brother Corny (Eleanor), sister Betty Enns, sister in laws Judy Palmer, Margaret Birston (Paul), Rosemarie Klassen , many nieces and nephews and life long friends.

Susan and I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. James Paul and his wife, and Katherine’s dear friend, Christina. Their loving and constant care for Rudy and us as well, was more than words can say. I had lost some faith in our health care being a patient centered focus but Dr. Paul (James) , and the unbelievable team at CCMB McDermot and Palliative Care 8A St. Boniface have reignited my faith that it is alive and well and I thank them all for the dedicated loving care Rudy received. God bless you all!

Also, our love and heartfelt thanks to Brian Harack…steadfast, loving and there to shore us up during some very difficult days. Love to you and Dorothy always.

Thank you to Corny and Rosie for standing by, always at the ready if and when we needed you.

“We grieve because we have loved

How lucky we are to have experienced that love “

James Middleton

Love love, the Alpha and the Omega