Henry Glouchkow

Forever we will hear Henry whooping for joy as he bombed down the hills on the cross-country ski trails in Gatineau Park.

Henry Glouchkow was born in Verviers, Belgium, on December 14, 1937. His parents, Victor and Elizabeth, raised Henry and his younger brother Paul amongst their cousins in Belgium, until fleeing to England, catching the last boat across the English Channel in 1940.

Henry studied mathematics at the University of Keele. Upon graduating, he went on a motorbike trip to Greece, where he met his darling Heather. Their first encounter was when Heather was sunning on an air mattress in the Aegean Sea, and Henry tipped her into the water as a way of grabbing her attention. Henry and Heather married in 1965 in England, and they soon celebrated the birth of their son Jamie.

Always ones for adventure, when Henry found an opportunity to move to Ottawa to join Statistics Canada, Henry and Heather leapt at the chance. They soon welcomed their daughters Tasha and Lara. Although Ottawa had been intended as their first stop in a multi-year-round-the-world tour, they developed strong friendships and a love for Canada that kept them calling Ottawa home.

Henry quickly took to the wealth of Canadian outdoor sports, enjoying cross-country skiing, ice skating, bicycling to and from work each day, hiking and bushwhacking in the Gatineau hills (Henry always felt it far better to create his own path rather than follow someone else’s), swimming, canoeing, camping and adventuring.

Henry worked as a statistician at Statistics Canada, retiring as Chief of the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing. He made many strong friendships through his work and activities, due to his amazing ability to connect with others. Always one to prioritize people and relationships, he was quick to introduce himself and always showed curiosity in meeting new friends. A favourite memory is when he and his family showed up late (as was typically the case) to a canoe outing at Charleston Lake (their favourite summer camping spot when the kids were little), and rather than move quickly to avoid further delay for the group, Henry stopped to introduce himself and his family to all the other adventurers and requested intros from his fellow canoers.

He enjoyed travel and adventure, visiting family and friends in England, Belgium, France, Australia, New Zealand and the US. He also enjoyed family trips through the years to Cape Cod, hiking in the Rockies, crabbing and swimming in New Brunswick and PEI, beachgoing and snorkeling in Hawaii, and heading to cottages in Quebec for canoeing, swimming and family get togethers. These always entailed a large number of games, as did the various get-togethers Henry & Heather hosted and attended over the years. Charades, orange jousting, glove tag, the telephone book game, squeak piggy squeak, and thumbs up were enjoyed for decades.

Henry died on April 12, 2025, at the age of 87, surrounded by his family at the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa. He is remembered for his joy for life, his amazing generosity, and his larger-than-life spirit.

Henry leaves behind his family; his amazing wife Heather, his children and their spouses Jamie & Ellen, Tasha & Chris, Lara & Chris, and his grandchildren Amanda, Andrew, Melissa, Rebecca, Declan and Tessa. We all know he will be cheering us on in all our endeavours, shouting his quintessential “Congratulations!” and “Formidable!” (en Francais of course).

Friends and family are invited to visit at Tubman Funeral Home Garden Chapel, 3440 Richmond Road, on Sunday, April 27, 2025, after 1:00pm until the Celebration of Henry’s life at 2:00pm. Reception to follow.

The family would like to thank the team at My Place Home Care and at the Montfort Hospital for their care and support.