Obituary of Karius Harold Henry

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our much beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Harold Henry Karius.  He passed away on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at the age of 94. Harold was predeceased by his loving wife Leona. He is survived by his children Rod (Laura), Randy (Crystal) and Kathy (Alan); dear grandfather of Megan (Eric), Catlin (Jessica), Addison (Kelsey), Bethany (Josh), Amy (John), Matthew (Ashlie), and Andrew (Yvette) and proud great-grandpa to 24 great-grandchildren.

Harold was born in 1929 to parents Henry and Katherine Karius, and grew up on a farm south of Melville, SK. He was the middle child in the family with brothers Ted and Ed and sisters Evaline and Edna. Harold ventured out into the world at the age of 17 to work in the steel and mining industries in Ontario. Some years later, Harold returned to Melville and worked as the parts manager at an automotive dealership. Soon after, he met and married his loving wife, Leona, and their two sons Rod and Randy were born in Melville. They relocated briefly to Raymore and then The Pas, Manitoba where their daughter Kathy was born. Moving back to Melville in 1960, Harold opened his own auto parts business which was not as successful as he wanted so he took his mechanical skills to Dome Petroleum’s gas storage facility in Melville. His career with Dome included a move to Regina in 1979 where he operated their gas pipelines in the region until his retirement in 1991.  Following that, for six years, he enjoyed helping handicapped children as their bus driver and later in his seventies he was an usher for Paragon Funeral Services.

Harold was always interested and involved in his community. He was very active in his church, organized the local Volunteer Ambulance Association, and was a charter member of the Lions Club in Melville. He also served one term as Alderman where one of the highlights was meeting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip during their visit to Melville in 1978.

Harold and Leona enjoyed travelling abroad to destinations such as Europe and Australia as well as many winter trips into the U.S. Closer to home, Harold enjoyed curling, golfing, fishing and hosting the extended family and many friends at the cottage on Crooked Lake in the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley.

Harold will be remembered for his sense of humour and kind disposition, thoroughly enjoying time spent with people and always looking younger than his age. He will be missed by all he knew.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at New Hope Lutheran Church, 370 McIntosh Street North, Regina, SK. For those not able to attend, a livestream may be viewed at www.newhopelutheranregina.com. Interment to follow at Lipton Memorial Gardens, Lipton, SK. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to New Hope Lutheran Church or Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Regina.