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Frederick Harry Harttrup Obituary

Brought to you by Graham A. Giddy Funeral Homes Ltd

Frederick Harry Harttrup

Waterloo, ON

December 27, 1924 - July 12, 2020

Frederick Harry Harttrup Obituary

MR. FREDERICK HARRY HARTTRUP Our sweet and precious Dad is now at peace. He lived a long life, filled with love, happiness, family & friends. Finally, he will be with his beloved Olive, the love of his life; our mother. We know that he has “begun a new journey”. Dad passed away in Waterloo, Ontario on July 12, 2020 at the “not too shabby” age of 95-1/2. Father to Richard (Alberta), Helen & Helmut (Waterloo), Francis & wife (Ayr), Philip (UAE), and Michael & Nancy (Kitchener). Eight grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, have been handed his legacy rich in love, kindness, generosity, compassion, and a zest to explore the world in all its beauty. Dad will also be missed by his sister-in-law’s and families in Toronto, family members in St. Lucia, Trinidad, England and Austria; special family friends Jan Brown (Sudbury), Grace Heagy (Saskatchewan), as well as many dear friends near and far. Special mention goes to Marlene Schilling who visited Dad often, and treated him as if he were her own father. Look up the word in the dictionary, on your iPads, or ask google the for the meaning of the word “Gentleman”. It will have my Daddy’s name: FREDERICK HARRY HARTTRUP. The true meaning of an adventurous, civilized, sensitive, polite and well-mannered man. So many people in this world do not have the gift our family has been bestowed on them: The LONGEVITY of a parent, the OLD SOUL, the LEARNED ONE, the SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE. Only in the past year we saw our Dad fit into his new role of a very elderly man who lived through so many experiences. World traveler to over 37 countries, throughout continental USA, and from coast to coast in Canada, which for the most part would be the envy of us all. Keep in mind that Daddy had brilliance about him without a formal education. His memory was second to none. He could do mathematics exponentially, and he could definitely have been on any Jeopardy panel to give a good run for the money. In the past several months his short term memory faded, however I asked him not long ago about his greatest achievement in life. Without any hesitation he answered, “marrying mummy, and having you children of course.” Yes, our parents affectionately called themselves “mummy and daddy”, and I can honestly say, I cannot remember them calling themselves, “Olive or Fred.” My earliest memories of my sweet Dad were in British Guyana. He engaged with everyone he met and was always gracious and loving. He built an avery and had an abundance of the most beautifully multi colored budgies that he bred from a pair he chose. He brought home a monkey and a large macaw with one foot who became our dear pets, along with a tortoise and turtle (sea and land creatures). A big adventure Richard and I shared was a trip in an amerindian canoe into the interior along the muddy Essequibo river to experience nature in the dense jungle. Our birthdays every year guaranteed that Daddy would show up in a clown outfit (sweating in the heat of the tropics) leading a donkey cart ready to give rides to our friends. On the downside he did bring home a goat (another pet) which we harnessed to a make shift wagon with hopes of getting goat cart rides. Easter that year was a goat stew. That deed does not make Daddy the saint I portray him to be, but in every other regard he was “my hero”. Helmut, what words can I say to tell you “Thank You” for being so wonderful to “Daddy Harttrup”? (That’s what you always called him). I am eternally grateful for that. I thank my Dad for immigrating to Canada in 1966, for exposing us to travel, for his love, his life, and for the FINEST HUMAN BEING I can call ‘MY DAD’. Covid-19 has prevented us from celebrating Daddy’s life. Please cherish the memory each and every one of you shared with our Dad and know he loved us all. “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln He will be in our hearts forever

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Events

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