It is a great honour to be asked by my family to speak about our Dad. Who was William George Klages? He was many things to many people. He was first the son of Gottlieb and Augusta Klages, born on the family farm in Slate River. He was brother to Henry, Charlie, Bobby, Felix, Mary, Eric and Lena.
I talked to Aunt Lena the other day about Dad as a child. She recalled that her father had moved the family to Westfort just prior to the depression for a year or so. She attended Crawford St. School and when she would walk to school, her baby brother George, who was 3 or 4 at the time, would sneak out of the house to follow her because he wanted to be with her. This was a problem because she had to cross the train tracks to get to school and George would stop and play on the tracks. She turned around only to see her brother there and had to run back to get him off the tracks and take him home.
Later on when they moved back to the farm, Lena recalls the boys would build a skating rink on the pond. This is where his love of hockey began, a love that he passed on to his son and grandsons.
He was husband to Laura. Mom recalls how they met. She and a friend went to a dance and when she saw Dad, she said "That one's for me." That was over 60 years ago. Imagine that! They married, and together they cleared land, built a home and raised 6 great kids. [Best of all, ME!]
Not only did they raise 6 great kids, they also opened their home to numerous foster children from Children's Aid. From 1953 to 1983 there were over 200! While Mom cared for the children, Dad was for a number of years a member of the Board of Directors for the Children's Aid Society. What a team.
He was father or "Dad" to Bill, Bob, Cathy, Debi, Laurie and [you guessed it]~Best of all, me! He coached his sons' hockey team (smoking a huge white owl cigar when his team won). He encouraged all of us to be the best we could be and he was proud of all his children's accomplishments.
He was always there to listen to our problems and to give advice. It didn't matter whether or not we took his advice, he was glad to be able to help any way he could.
He was Grandfather, Papa and great-grandfather and liked to sit and chat with all the children, read stories to them, and, once again, give them advice.
George was a Union man. From 1967 to 1985, Dad worked hard for his Brothers and Sisters of Pipe Fitters Local 39 on the Pension & Insurance committee, either as a committee member or as the Chairman. The pension that members enjoy now is a result in part of that work.
He was also a member of the Enterainment committee, a job he enjoyed, as he knew the value of fellowship and recreaction.
He was a Piper Fitter by trade and he worked hard for his employer. As many of his apprentices would attest, his toolbox they carried would always have more than enough in it to do the job.
Yes, William George Klages Sr. was many things to many people. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father and a father in law. He was a grandfather, and a great grandfather. He was a Union member and a Committee member. He was an adviser to his children and grandchildren.
If I had to sum all that up in one word, it would be ~ "Friend." He was a friend to us all. A friend that will be missed. In closing, I'd like to leave you with a quote from author John Taylor: "While we mourn the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil."
By David Klages
On Thursday, we went over to my friend's place to for a short visit. Alex and Sky were playing and somehow she jumped and bumped her head on the bottom of Alex's jaw. He became very upset and said that his tooth had become loose so I checked it out. Good enough, his adult tooth has already broken through (maybe from him biting it when Sky hit him?) and his tooth was indeed loose. We went home because it was painful for Alex and I wanted to give him some advil to see if it helps. As the night went on, he demanded to see his grandpa so we went over to my dad's place. My dad checked it out and told me to use a tweezer to pull his tooth out when it becomes more loose. Later on, while Alex was eating, his tooth became even more loose so it was time to pull it out. It only took a few tries but Alex screamed his head off. I had to reassure him that the pain will go away once the tooth was out and that he would be getting money from the tooth fairy. After the tooth was out, he realized that I was right. The pain did go away almost instantly after his tooth was out and he was sooo proud of himself! 