In Celebration of

Hildegard Schaefer

October 10, 1929 -  January 1, 2023

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Hildegard Schaefer. Hildegard passed peacefully at her home on January 1, 2023, at the age of 93. She is predeceased by her loving husband of 70 years, Edward, and survived by their son Klaus (Jean), their daughter Christine (Sam), three grandchildren, Kirsten (Graham), Eric (Rebecca) and Katherine (Vergil), and four great-grandchildren, Liam, Audrey, Fern and Freya.

Hildegard was born in Germany and immigrated to Canada in 1956 with her husband and their young son. She worked hard and studied diligently, and fulfilled her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher, at which she excelled during her 28-year career.

Even though teaching and looking after her family kept her busy, Hildegard found time to pursue her many interests, especially sewing. She was a master seamstress and enjoyed sewing for all the members of her family. Hildegard took great pleasure in decorating the house through the different seasons. Christmas was her favourite time of year, but all the holidays saw the walls adorned with her handmade seasonal cross stitch, crochet, quilts, wreaths and other crafts. Hildegard was very talented and loved to share her joy in creating beautiful things.

Hildegard was a superb cook and an exceptional hostess. She delighted in entertaining friends and neighbours, especially during the holidays. She had an abundance of energy that kept her busy with her hobbies and enjoyed travelling with Edward all over North America and Europe, not just during her working years, but also during her 33-year retirement.

Hildegard was a cherished and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and neighbours.

Visitation hours are from 12 – 2 pm on Saturday, January 21st at the Turner & Porter Neweduk-Erin Mills Chapel located at 1981 Dundas St.West in Mississauga.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the charity of your choice.


Guestbook 

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Dolores Wielgus (Friend and Neighbour)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Mississauga

My sincere condolences to Christine, Klaus, and the family. I have good memories of visiting Hildegard and Ed in their home across the street from me. It was mostly in our retirement years that we had time to get to know each other. Hildegard shared her love of cross-stitching and impressed me with her works of art which were displayed throughout the house. She also shared accounts of her travels with Ed; in later years television travelogues maintained her interest in other cultures and countries. Hildegard's serene and engaging presence was an inspiration in my life.

Klaus and Jean Schaefer (son and daughter-in-law)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Mississauga

Your brave journey is now complete. You are not really gone, just gone ahead. Wishing you peace, as you are now with Ed. We will miss you.
Klaus and Jean

Gaetano Pietro Matteazzi (Neighbour)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Mississauga

Our deepest condolences to Christine, Sam, Klaus, Jean and the entire family. I hope you take comfort in knowing that Hildegard is now at peace, reunited with her beloved husband, Ed. I also pray that your happy memories of Hildegard sustain you with peace, comfort and fortitude, while also providing you with direction in how to live an exemplary life. God bless.

Katherine Schaefer (Granddaughter)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Ottawa

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. ~Author Unknown

I have such treasured memories with my dear Oma. As a child, we lived a short 20min. drive away so we always saw Oma and Opa on all holidays and special occasions. When my parents took holidays, my Oma would look after us. It was during these special times, many fond memories were created, such as playing board games in the basement, watching Robin Hood Men in Tights (still my favourite), Benny and Joon, and the Sound of Music. Like me, Oma loved a good rom-com and musical and she introduced my young self to numerous favourites. We meticulously worked on puzzles at the dining room table, cracked walnuts and gobbled them up, along with pistachios and chocolate covered almonds in that glittering glass serving bowl we always looked for. We would help her feed the birds on her back patio and wait for the ever-present cardinal and blue-jay. I remember Oma's warmness as a child, always keen to know what I was learning or doing in my free time. She always gave me tender hugs and a kiss on the cheek. I'll miss her belly-chuckle laugh, her loving presence, and her delicious soups - always inspiring me since living on my own to make them. Since moving to Ottawa in 2010, I would often phone Oma and Opa, and without fail, she was always perky and thankful that I called. She ended each and every call once my Opa hung up (so he didn't interrupt her), "I wish you the very best and all the success. I'll be thinking of you often and hope you stay happy and healthy."And so, as we say a final goodbye, I wish my sweet Oma the very best reunion with Opa and I'll be thinking of her often, carrying on her traditions with my own children. They will hear stories of her for years to come.

Kirsten Schaefer (Granddaughter)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Guelph

Oma and I shared a love for sewing - she was without a doubt the person who influenced me most in the early days of my own sewing journey. She taught me how to thread my first machine and the rest is history! I remember making my own bridesmaid dress for (aunt) Christine's wedding, and when things went awry, Oma came to the rescue at the eleventh hour, fixing my mistakes (and teaching me what went wrong, why, and how to fix it) and making sure the dress was ready for the big day. 

When Eric and Kat and I were little, we used to love playing in the crawl space at Oma and Opa's house, which was carpeted and organized, and felt like a secret fort! We'd bring down large blankets and there were two large pink satin pillows at their house that were always included when we played down there, and Oma would cut up cheeses and peel and slice golden delicious apples for us to snack on in our "secret" space.

Dinners at Oma and Opa's were always a noteworthy event full of music, festive decor, and German treats! I particularly loved her melt-in-your-mouth roladen, apple stuffed dumplings, cheesecake...even her vegetables were delicious - I've never liked cooked carrots but somehow Oma made them irresistible and something to look forward to! 

I remember building gingerbread houses in December - she baked all the pieces, cut them to size, glued the houses together with a special sugar mix, and prepared all the candies for us to use as decoration. We ate just as many goodies as we used to decorate! She introduced us to many crafts, including decorating tshirts, building paper dolls, and also making wreaths - there were so many wreaths! She had multiple wreaths for every occasion and they filled the walls and doors of the house with her personal creative touch.

Christmas Eve was always spent at Oma and Opa's house, and was filled with music, good food, and laughter. We would play music together as a family, with Oma strumming along on her autoharp and Opa on his accordion. It's difficult to imagine them separately as they were always together. Though I'm sad she is no longer with us, I'm also grateful that they have been reunited and that her suffering is over. Opa was Oma's biggest cheerleader, proclaiming his love for her publically and enthusiastically right to the end. I know he will be waiting with open arms to receive her on their way to their next adventure.

Life Stories 

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Jean Schaefer (daughter-in-law)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Mississauga, Ontario

Oma loved to garden. She had an exceptional green thumb. Her backyard though shady was a serene oasis full of spectacular colour. I use to love relaxing on her patio enjoying the little piece of heaven she had created.

Jean Schaefer (daughter-in-law)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Mississauga, Ontario

Before Klaus and I got married, Oma was away in Europe for part of the summer. Klaus and I knew how important her garden was, so decided to help out by doing some weeding. We knew very little about flowers, at that time, so merrily went about pulling what we thought were weeds. It was only later we discovered we discovered, we had accidently destroyed some treasured species. Though probably dismayed she kindly told us not to worry as she'd just replant. She never did ask us to help weed again {smile).

Jean Schaefer (daughter-in-law)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Mississauga, Ontario

Oma loved to seasonally decorate her home. Her place at Christmas was especially spectacular. I use to proudly take my friends and family on tours as it was such a magnificent site to behold.

Christine Shaw (Daughter)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Keene, Ontario

Mom was very skilled and talented. She particularly excelled at sewing, which she absolutely loved to do. She could sew anything, from suits, to evening wear, to jeans and everything else you could think of. All of her garments always looked professionally made. She sewed a lot of clothes for me, and when I was young, she sewed a whole wardrobe for my Barbie dolls! She made ball gowns, pants, tops, dresses and a coat or two, all of which I still have tucked away and treasure as part of my memories of childhood. She taught me to sew, in fact, my very first lessons were on her old Singer that had a treadle wheel! All my sewing skills I learned from her. I have never been able to achieve her superiority in sewing, but every time I do sew something, a part of Mom is with me.

Katherine Schaefer (Granddaughter)

Entered January 6, 2023 from Ottawa

Oma made a fabulous tradition each Christmas to make gingerbread houses from scratch for my siblings and me to decorate. Obviously, it was one of our favourite holiday traditions and I hope to do the same with my kids.

Photos 

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