Wilfred Alphons Haas, age 94 years, of Thunder Bay passed away Saturday May 20, 2017 at his home of 61 years. Born in Calgary Alberta, October 21, 1922, and at the age of 12, his parents returned to Switzerland where he grew up and went to school. In 1947, after the war, Wilfred returned to Canada along with his parents and three siblings residing in Fort William. Throughout his life, he worked at McKellar Hospital, Can Car and later at Great Lakes Paper working in the wood room before retiring at the age of 62. He will be remembered for operating the Boundary confectionary, where trolley buses would exchange passengers between the two cities, dealing in used foreign vehicles and repairing car radios. During his lengthy retirement, he regularly traveled, mainly driving to the southern States for winter holidays and revisiting Switzerland. He often said he was lucky he had no aches or pains and attributed this to his regiment of vitamins and apple cider vinegar & honey drink he mixed every day to his health.
Wilfred was predeceased by his parents Anton and Rosalie Haas, sisters Dorothy Christen and Audrey Wey and brother Gilbert Haas. He was also predeceased by partner Elizabeth Wright, wife Lillian Turner, and long-time special friend Hazel Sudborough, Jacksonville Fl.; brother-in-law Frank Christen Sr., and Bernard Wey Stoney Creek.
Wilfred leaves behind stepdaughter Caroline Turner (Don Chernosky and son Cole) grand-daughter Kateland Ayre and stepson Shawn Turner (Sheri); foster parent to Robert Blomquist (Donna); along with nephews Frank Christen (Linda), Tom Wey (Lois)London, Daniel Haas (Diane) Mississauga, and Robert Haas Etobicoke; nieces Helen St. John (Kevin) Kingston, Ruth Risi (Walter), Deborah Diezvez Hamilton; sister-in-law Gina Haas Etobicoke, cousins Bob Fleming (Doris) Kitchener, Walter Soland (Ingrid) Switzerland, and Marie–Therese Gasser-Haas of Switzerland.
Special thanks go to the medical staff at the River Terrace Clinic, Dr. K.Storkson, Regional health science centre – telehomecare heart failure program- Nurse Practitioner Jeff Yahn,pharmaceutical staff at River Terrace Pharmacy, Brian Gray and Jon Potvin, and Doctor of Audiology – Betty DeKracker all who made his final years normalized.
Funeral services will be held at Blake’s Funeral chapel at 12:00 p.m. Monday May 29, with visitation beginning at 11:00 a.m.
