Obituary of Joe Kratz

"Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart."
 

It's with great sadness that we announce the passing of a loving husband, Dad, Opa, brother, uncle and friend. Josef Kratz “Joe” passed away on Monday, May 29, 2023, at the age of 88.

The third of six children, Joe was born on July 14, 1934, in Tiefenbach (Gundelsheim a. Neckar), Germany. In November 1954, he immigrated to Canada, at the age of 20 – with only a few dollars and no winter coat. Against all odds, he built a full and accomplished life in Regina with his wife Irma, the love of his life. His strong work ethic was second to none. A blacksmith by trade, he went on to become a successful home builder. His hobbies included travelling with family, fishing, ice fishing and hunting.

Joe and Irma raised three children, Renate (Danny), Ralph (Pam) and Joe. They have six grandchildren, Tatiana (Brendan), Daniel (Lucy), Michael, Alex (Lianne), Eric (Julia) and Melayna and four great-grandchildren, Brayden, Avery, Sophie and Brynley.   Joe was predeceased by his father Karl Kratz and mother Karoline Kratz (nee Hoehn); sisters Klara, Johanna and Hilde; brothers Raimund and Ludwig; sister-in-law Maria (nee Ortwein); and brothers-in-law, Karl Fichter and Hermann Schaefer.

After Irma's passing two years ago, Joe taught himself to bake her famous marble cake to honour her memory – and became very good at it, inviting friends and family over to give it a taste! He cooked, gardened, and especially loved spending time with the new arrivals to the family, Sophie and Brynley.

The family would like to thank the General Hospital Emergency and Internal Medicine and the Pasqua Hospital Emergency and Palliative Care teams for the extraordinary compassionate care Dad received over the past five weeks.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at Resurrection Roman Catholic Church, 3155 Windsor Park Road, Regina, SK.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made to Hospitals of Regina Foundation, #225 - 1874 Scarth Street, Regina SK S4P 4B3.