Obituary of Hans Reichenfeld

Hans' remarkable life came to an end much as he lived; on his own terms, at home and in his own bed. In his last days he referred to going on his "next adventure", the next in the long line of adventures he experienced during his lifetime. Predeceased by Ragnheidur Einarsdottir (Ragga), he is survived by his spouse Cathy Jelinek, sister Eva Frean, children Halla, Kristin, Robert and Stephen, 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Hans had endless curiosity that covered a wide range of interests. Born in 1923 to a Jewish family in pre WWII Vienna, in 1938 he escaped Nazi oppression to attend a Quaker school in England as a refugee. Joining the RAF in the latter part of the war his next adventure took him to Iceland where he met and married Ragga. The post war period saw him attend University College London to study medicine and eventually become a physician in Birmingham, England. He brought many a baby into the world always having spare change in his obstetrics bag to feed the gas meter to ensure the availability of hot water during a home delivery. The next adventure was to emigrate to Canada to begin a new career as a psychiatrist after completing studies at McMaster University. This stage in his career took him to London, Stratford and finally Ottawa where he headed the geriatric unit at the Royal Ottawa before retiring to private practice until age 85. A final move to Guelph in 2010 saw him remain active in his local community and beyond, even presenting a paper at a conference in Vienna in 2015. Always an optimist and an organizer, not one to dwell on the past, his life was defined by a life-long passion for learning and exploring a broad range of interests from museums to music to mountains. May his next adventure be just as fulfilling. We invite you to leave condolences and donations to Amnesty International online at www.gilchristchapel.com Service Information Service Location No Services Requested Charity Amnesty International