Obituary for John Heffner Sr.
Heffner, John Sr.
Passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at the age of 91.
On February 24, 2021 John and Marianne Heffner (Kessler) would have been married for 20 years.
Loving father of John Jr. (Loren) and Willy (Laura) and step-father of Lydia Kessler and Paul Kessler (Andrea).
Dear Opa to Lori Straus (Corey) , Kristin Werner (Mike), Nick Heffner, Stephen Heffner (Ali) and David Sigmund.
Great-Opa to Sebastian Heffner, William and Charlotte Heffner, Xander and Cody Werner, and Khristopher and Jonnathan Straus.
John is predeceased by his first wife, Mary Heffner (2000).
In 1973, John had a dangerous project before him: raise the 32’ x 37’ roof on his dealership so he could build a second floor up to it. No general contractor would do it, but John wanted it done. With 10 tonne jacks positioned around the roof section, he would raise each jack a few inches at a time, until the whole roof was up the required 32”. This roof modification engineered by John Sr. still stands today.
John’s determination to keep moving forward was with him to the very end. The idea of giving up simply never occurred to him for one reason: his family.
John wanted a better life for his family than his native Hungary could provide. In 1957, shortly after the Hungarian Revolution, John, Mary, and their 4-year-old son, John Jr.; his mother, Theresa; his in-laws, Katharina and Sebastian; and several friends crossed the border into Yugoslavia and spent six months’ living in various refugee camps before the Red Cross arranged for their sponsored immigration to Canada.
Within a few years, John opened his own garage in Kitchener and did what was necessary to support his family. He even offered 24-hour towing service by parking the telephone next to his bed.
“I will never forget one bitterly cold February morning,” John wrote in his memoir, “when there were fifty-four calls from customers whose cars did not start due to the temperature.”
As John’s business grew, so did his family, from Willy, his and Mary’s second son, to four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was a great storyteller and especially loved sharing stories about his childhood in Hungary. One of his favourites was when he threw a small stone at a cat just to annoy it and broke the neighbour’s window instead. Even into his 90s, telling that story made John laugh.
John’s life has taught those around him many things, but perhaps this lesson is the most important one: John didn’t lower his dreams to make them easier to reach. He raised them high and then moved toward them inch by inch.
A Celebration of John's life will take place on Sunday, September 19, 2021 from 12-3 p.m. at the Schwaben Club, 50 Scheifele Pl, Breslau. Please note the new address. (In accordance with public health, covid-19 mandates will be observed.)
Visit www.henrywalser.com for John's Memorial.
Passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at the age of 91.
On February 24, 2021 John and Marianne Heffner (Kessler) would have been married for 20 years.
Loving father of John Jr. (Loren) and Willy (Laura) and step-father of Lydia Kessler and Paul Kessler (Andrea).
Dear Opa to Lori Straus (Corey) , Kristin Werner (Mike), Nick Heffner, Stephen Heffner (Ali) and David Sigmund.
Great-Opa to Sebastian Heffner, William and Charlotte Heffner, Xander and Cody Werner, and Khristopher and Jonnathan Straus.
John is predeceased by his first wife, Mary Heffner (2000).
In 1973, John had a dangerous project before him: raise the 32’ x 37’ roof on his dealership so he could build a second floor up to it. No general contractor would do it, but John wanted it done. With 10 tonne jacks positioned around the roof section, he would raise each jack a few inches at a time, until the whole roof was up the required 32”. This roof modification engineered by John Sr. still stands today.
John’s determination to keep moving forward was with him to the very end. The idea of giving up simply never occurred to him for one reason: his family.
John wanted a better life for his family than his native Hungary could provide. In 1957, shortly after the Hungarian Revolution, John, Mary, and their 4-year-old son, John Jr.; his mother, Theresa; his in-laws, Katharina and Sebastian; and several friends crossed the border into Yugoslavia and spent six months’ living in various refugee camps before the Red Cross arranged for their sponsored immigration to Canada.
Within a few years, John opened his own garage in Kitchener and did what was necessary to support his family. He even offered 24-hour towing service by parking the telephone next to his bed.
“I will never forget one bitterly cold February morning,” John wrote in his memoir, “when there were fifty-four calls from customers whose cars did not start due to the temperature.”
As John’s business grew, so did his family, from Willy, his and Mary’s second son, to four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was a great storyteller and especially loved sharing stories about his childhood in Hungary. One of his favourites was when he threw a small stone at a cat just to annoy it and broke the neighbour’s window instead. Even into his 90s, telling that story made John laugh.
John’s life has taught those around him many things, but perhaps this lesson is the most important one: John didn’t lower his dreams to make them easier to reach. He raised them high and then moved toward them inch by inch.
A Celebration of John's life will take place on Sunday, September 19, 2021 from 12-3 p.m. at the Schwaben Club, 50 Scheifele Pl, Breslau. Please note the new address. (In accordance with public health, covid-19 mandates will be observed.)
Visit www.henrywalser.com for John's Memorial.