Gebhard Alfred (Joe) Liedtke
June 30, 1930 – March 05, 2023
Passed away suddenly at his home in Dryden on Sunday, March 05, 2023.
He is survived by and will be dearly missed by family; children Karin Hofteig, Manfred (Debbie) Liedtke, Caroline (Michel Morin) Liedtke, and daughter in law Maureen Frank. Loved by grandchildren Cole, Alyx and Connor, Elysa, Karla and Angus, Jocelyn and André, as well as his great grandchildren Ariana, Carter, Laina, Gavyn, Kala, Levi, and Malakai.
Predeceased by his older sister Christel (and Dr. Werner) Röhr, son Frank Liedtke, first wife Gisela Beckmann, son in law Donald Hofteig, grandson Derek Hofteig as well as by his beloved wife of 61 years, Ruth Liedtke.
It is hard to imagine the breadth of the long and adventurous life of Gebhard, Jupp or Joe, however you knew him best. Gebhard spent his earliest years in a small town in East Prussia until the family was driven out by WWII Russian advances through the area in 1945. This shattered youth made him take every opportunity to live life to the fullest and in future years, move his immediate family to far away peaceful foreign places like Australia in 1959 and then to Canada in 1963. He took great pride in all of his accomplishments and challenges overcome as well as a lot of credit for all of the best attributes of his grandchildren. Everyone has an Opa Joe story that includes his sage advice from a lifetime in the school of hard knocks and self-taught life experiences, whether you wanted those tips or not.
His travels corresponded with varied careers in hard work from blacksmithing, farming, truck driving in Europe and Canada, construction, mining, welding and tourism. He took on many passionate hobbies such as obtaining his private pilot’s license at 40 years old, as well as builder of anything he and Ruth ever dreamed up together like boats, airplanes and ultralight aircrafts. Joe loved the outdoors and all the creatures in it, often handfeeding chipmunks and birds and befriending dogs and cats with his pocketful of treats. He liked to hunt, fish, was a trapper for many years and even tried his hand at bee keeping in Australia. An accomplished oil painter and artist, we will cherish his memories of those landscapes in our own homes now. He was always open to try anything at least once.
For Joe there was never any stranger, only friends he hadn’t met yet. Never shy to build new connections and start a party wherever he roamed. Settling in the Red Lake area after immigrating to Canada, it was a similar climate and terrain to his hometown (where he could never return) and much more to Ruth’s liking as Australia was too hot! Although far from their roots, Joe and Ruth were a do-it-yourself power couple and raised our family as the owners and operators of McKenzie Welding, a custom steel fabrication business, for decades until they retired in 1984 to their simple life on the shores of Red Lake. Without a lot of formal education, Joe invented, engineered and built custom steel solutions for all the major industries in the Red Lake District. To stay busy in their retirement they built the Iron Ruth houseboat and hosted tours where Captain Joe was the life of the party! The loss of his son Frank in an aircraft accident in 1999 affected him deeply. Relocating to Dryden in 2013 meant making new friends and turning neighbours into family over the past decade. After Ruth’s passing in 2017, Joe remained a positive influence, example and stalwart foundation for our family. Living the life he wanted until the end, when Ruth called him home to be with her. Joe was grateful and our whole family is thankful to everyone that cared, helped and supported him along the way.
Enjoy a refreshing beverage in his honour and join the collective cheers to an amazing man, father, grandfather, and friend.
A private family memorial will be held at a later date.
If friends so desire donations may be made to the Red Lake Safe Waters Association, PO Box 1361, Red Lake, ON P0V 2M0 or the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2300 Yonge St., Suite 1200, Box 2414, Toronto, ON M4P 1E4.
Condolences may be posted at www.dcfh.ca
Arrangements entrusted to the Dryden Community Funeral Home, 249 Grand Trunk Avenue, Dryden, ON P8N 2X3
