Obituary of Harald Matthiessen

Harald Matthiessen was born on July 25th 1936 in a small village in North Germany to August and Frieda Matthiessen. He was one of 5 children, he had one sister and three brothers. He is survived by his sister Helga and joins his brothers Hans Gunter, Rolf and Gerhard along with his parents in heaven. Harald immigrated to Canada in 1956. He boarded a ship across the ocean with $96 in his pocket and an ambition for a better life in Canada. He arrived in Montreal and made his way to Toronto where he joined a German Youth Group at St. Georg's Church on College Street . This is where he met his beloved wife Ilse Doris Hoop and they married at the same church on December 9th 1961. They renewed their vows on their Golden Wedding Anniversary in the same place and this year would have marked their 59th year of marriage. Harald and Ilse were long standing members of Grace Lutheran Church in Oakville. In their early years of marriage Harald and Ilse loved to travel and drove to California for their honeymoon and during those first years explored across Canada and eventually moved from Toronto to Oakville n 1966. Travel was consistent over their lives together and their travel logs were extensive around the world. They became a family of 4 over the next years when Martin and Karen joined the family in 1968 and 1971.Harald loved the outdoors, travel and exploring new places. He and Ilse loved camping and canoeing and all things that involved nature. He was driven to succeed and was self motivated. He went back to night school with the support of Ilse and so began a long career in Building Systems and Property Management. He was a hard worker and worked up until this year at the age of 84 when illness made it impossible to continue. Harald had a zest for life. He found humor in the small things and didn't' care about what people thought about it. He was the first to wear a funny costume or to pull out his accordion at any opportunity. He loved making speeches much to our embarrassment as it often involved jokes that only he understood but also he laughed at the most. With time, this was something that was admired and we grew to love about him. Harald didn't shy away from opportunities to be involved and had great joy at any social outing. Lawn Bowling, Curling and any opportunity to take part, Harald loved a party! Harald travelled all over the world doing volunteer work in the US, Guyana, Nunavut to help with building systems in less fortunate communities. He hiked in Peru, Chile, Africa and all over Europe. He and Ilse loved the Bruce Trail and hiked it end to end. He was a Scout Leader and actively involved in Scouting. He attended the world jamboree in Australia and the Canadian Jamboree out east and west, which involved the whole family driving to Alaska. He was a member of the German Canadian Club, German Canadian Congress and Probus Club. Ilse will miss her life long companion. They shared 59 years of marriage and they always said as long as they were together they were fortunate. Harald was a good provider, what he could not say in worlds he showed with his support and dedication to his family. He loved his wife Ilse dearly, always asking for her during his last weeks. He loved his son Martin and admired his drive to succeed as a Firefighter and his love for fishing and the outdoors. He loved his daughter Karen and they shared that love quietly in the mutual respect had for each other. Harald loved his son in law Mark, with whom he a shared a quiet connection. He admired his daughter in law Jayna for her calm and commitment to Martin. Harald was blessed to have 4 beautiful granddaughters Ella, Katie, Ashley and Jenna and most recently welcomed his first grandson Mason. Opa will be missed by all of them especially at Christmas when he loved to play Santa. We believed Harald touched many lives in ways we may not even be aware of. It was important to him that he leave a legacy of success. We believe he was successful in all the areas of life and love that count in the end. We are grateful to all of the friends and family both here and overseas that have reached out during this difficult time. Thank you to friends and neighbors for the endless meals. We will never forget the kindness of Nurse Anna and Nurse Norma who treated him with compassion while they cared for him at home. Dad was loved and lived a long and beautiful life. After a brief battle with lung cancer he left us without enough to time to grasp the loss. He is deeply missed by all of us. He was surrounded by his wife and children at home when he left this world. May he rest in peace and find comfort in the arms of God. The family has requested that those wishing to make a donation in honor of Harald to please consider "The Kerr Street Mission" in Oakville or "Ian Anderson House Hospice Care"What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeplybecomes part of us - Helen Keller Please take a moment to send a condolence to the family or share a memory of Harald.Due to current restrictions, Harald's family will be having a private family service, however they look forward to receiving friends and family for a celebration life in the future once appropriate measures have been lifted. The family will extend an invitation to those who were unable to attend the family service once a date has been selected. As directed by the Province of Ontario and the Bereavement Authority of Ontario the attendance at the funeral and cemetery is restricted to 30% capacity or less and a record of attendance must be maintained.Wearing of masks, or face coverings, by everyone is mandatory during their time in the funeral home or cemetery.Respecting the current situation and pandemic building restrictions, a Service will be held for invited guests only, If anyone wishes to attend in person please contact the family directly.