Dad passed away on 21 Mar, 2016. It was a sad day which I have recorded on paper but won't be sharing on my blog. I felt it was a bit personal. So I will share just a little differently.
Twelve days before he passed, it became necessary to find more care for him. It was now becoming too much for mom and there really was no choice. After a bit of a struggle to find a place for him, we found a nice hospice home called Sunrise in Orem. I highly recommend this place, it was very clean, fresh and new and had caring staff. After dad died, the manager had tears in her eyes as she spoke to me.
So dad was here 12 days as I mentioned. We visited almost every day except perhaps one on Saturday as we needed a little time for other things.
The family gathered on the Sunday after he got there. He seemed a bit better, alert, awake, and aware of all of us present with him. That was really the last better day so it was nice that the family was all gathered together on that day.
Well, a day or two before dad died, the lady "Ann" across the hall passed. We found out later that she was the step mother of my visiting teaching partner. One day as we came her name was removed from the wall next to her door.
On Monday, I went back to work and was called home saying that it was close to his time of passing. I drove to Orem as quickly as I could. I got there about 4:00 pm and he passed between 6:15 and 6:30 while we were in the dining area having a quick meal. We waited for the transport to pick him up which was about 8:00 that night. It was a sad ride home.
Here is Spencer trying to help Papa eat. He was having a difficult time to eat.
And he passed and it was very sad for us.
After this the days were rough for mom as we made plans for his service.
Here is his life sketch:
Heinz
Karl Hoeke 17 Feb. 1930-21 Mar 2016
Heinz Karl Hoeke was born on 17 Feb. 1930 in Dresden,
Saxony, Germany. He spent his growing up
years in Freiberg living with the Geistert family, while his biological father
served in the German military for many years.
Here in Freiberg he became a member of the LDS Church as a young man of
12 years.
He apprenticed as a printer and began work in Freiberg as a
compositor at a print shop. At the age
of 19 years, he met the love of his life, Eva Gralla on 29 Mar 1949. He knew right away that this was the girl for
him and they were engaged on the 30th of June, just three months
later. They married a year later on the
24th of June, 1950.
Their almost 66 years of marriage were very eventful,
beginning by having to flee their home in Freiberg, which was then behind the
Iron Curtain. This was a very dangerous
time for them as they fled to West Berlin and later ended up in a refugee camp in
Zeilsheim which is near Frankfurt, Main in West Germany. They lived and worked here for about 3 years,
during which time their daughter, Sonja, was born.
During their time in Frankfurt, Heinz had the home teaching
assignment to the then young Dieter Uchtdorf and his family. As he heard of President Uchtdorf’s
assignment in the First Presidency, he was so thrilled and quickly sent him a
congratulatory email.
After about three years, he and his family were sponsored by
the Methodist Church in Elmore, Minnesota to come to America. This was a large undertaking for a couple that
spoke no English and had no family there.
Yet is was a dream come true to live in a land of freedom. They lived in the little town of Elmore for 8
years where Heinz found employment working for the small town’s local
newspaper, The Elmore Eye. As a result
he needed to learn English quickly and well.
After 5 years in America they received their American citizenship which
was a proud day for them all. And he was
very patriotic to his new country and actively participated in many political
events. He served several years as the
PTA President at the school of his daughter, Sonja.
After their years in Elmore, he took his family to
California to live and he and Eva, lived in Coachella, in Southern California
for many years. Sonja went to Provo, UT. in 1971 to attend college and during this time met and married Spencer
Nishimoto and they settled in Highland, UT in the year 1978. By the year 1992 Heinz and Eva were both retired
and joined them here in Highland, where they have lived ever since.
Heinz and Eva became grandparents in 1977 and
great-grandparents in 2001, happy times for them both.
Although retired as a printer, he began doing German family
history research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and doing
German translations, including several complete books that clients wanted to be
able to read in English. He did this for
many years until his health began to fail.
Heinz has served in many church capacities such as councilor
in the Fairmont LDS branch presidency, many years as ward financial clerk and
Sunday School presidency in Frankfurt as well as Highland and in various stake
assignments. He has always been an
active member in the Church and worked in the Provo Temple baptistry until the
Mount Timpanogos Temple was built and at which time they began to work there
for over ten years, something they both loved doing very much.
He loved listening to classical music, which was his
absolute passion. He delved into
learning and appreciating all the very old and many unknown classical
composers. Over the years, he collected
as many of the works as he could in the various formats, records, tapes, CDs
and listened to them most of his spare time.
There was always music in his home.
He was very aware and enjoyed keeping current on politics. Because of his experiences in a country where
he lost his freedoms (East Germany) under Communist rule, he was especially
conscientious in doing what he could to make people aware.
Heinz and Eva had two children, one which passed at birth
and Sonja, (Spencer Nishimoto) two grandchildren, Brian and Jamie (Jacob
Hofheins) and 4 great grandchildren, Tyson, Brecklyn, Logan and Grayson.
His last eight years of life were hard as sickness and
health problems prevailed. Although in
and out of the hospital on many occasions, he tried his best to still show his
family his love for them and by providing for his wife as best as he could.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Karl and Frieda
Baatge Hoeke and his sister Erika Hoeke Sardison, who was married to Gustav
Sardison.
Papa Heinz, we love you and miss you. We look forward to the day when we will have
the promised blessing of being together as an eternal family never to be apart
again.
Funeral Program
Back and front with dad's poem to mom and the Swiss temple
