Gertrud Hardtke

Hardtke - Gertrud

Peacefully at Barrhaven Manor on Sunday, January 9, 2022 in her 95th year. She leaves behind her children Dr. Dieter Hardtke (Liz), Marion Carter (Gary) and Heidi Taylor (Weldon); grandchildren Michelle Duclos (Ryan), Morgan Hill (Peter), Troy Hardtke, Lisa Grannan (Eric), Whitney Lee (Elliot), Madison Brutesco (Dan) and Wilson Taylor (Laura); great-grandchildren Kaitlyn and Allison Duclos, Lily and P.J. Hill, Jack and Dean Grannan, Hunter and Viola Lee, Logan, Zara, and Imogen Brutesco, and Brayden and Thomas Taylor. She was preceded in death by her forever love and husband of 70 years Horst.

Gertrud “Gerda” Hardtke was born February 27th, 1927 in Bonn, Germany and was a hairdresser by trade.  At just 25 years old, she, Horst and their infant son made the treacherous and scary trip to a new life in Canada. A beloved mother and a cherished Oma, Gerda was a hard worker and a dedicated wife. She loved beautiful things and beautiful places. She was a person everyone wanted to be around and the best person to sit next to at a party. She was an easy conversationalist and loved to laugh. She loved Benson and Hedges and long red nails! She could cook the most incredible meals- but never really loved being the chef. She loved to be near the water and loved gambling, especially scratch off lottery tickets. If she was going to watch a movie, it had to be action packed and she also loved wrestling especially in the late 1980s. She made sure the beds were made every single day but preferred full-service gas stations. Although she was a proud Canadian, she also held on tight to her German heritage. She loved German music, especially Heino, and German romance novels. Whenever she felt strongly about something good or bad it was said, sang, yelled or cheered in German. She loved having people come to her kitchen for a visit and always had cold drinks and food on hand. She loved her people fiercely but kept her circle small and cherished her close friendships. She loved to travel and see new places and she liked her shoes to match her purse. She was meticulous with her things and always had impeccable taste. She loved a smooth cognac followed by a chilled beer in a delicate glass. She loved sunny days and would spend hours in the outdoors soaking it up.  She left a mark on all who knew her and will be deeply missed by her children and grandchildren. We hope her reunion with her people who went before her was wunderbar.

There will be no visitation or service at this time.