08.08.1932 to 30.06.2020
Ted fought courageously through battles with cancer, strokes, heart attack, macular degeneration (blindness), pneumonias and infections with the strength and tenacity of a barn cat. It was in early December 2019, when the last battle for his life started. He passed peacefully on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the Rosamond Wing of the Almonte General Hospital.
Born in Austria (then Yugoslavia), Ted immigrated to Canada in the early 1950s, landing in Halifax, NS, seeking opportunities as a baker by trade in the Promised Land of Canada. Ted lived life to the fullest; he enjoyed travelling to all corners of the world to see new sites and meet new people. He settled in Sault Ste. Marie where he met and married the love of his life, Melinda Gatternig (nee Nardi).
Father of Elaine (Peter) Caldwell, Edward (Lynda) Gatternig, Jasmine Leindecker and Gary (Sheree) Gatternig. Although divorced, special life-long friend to Melinda Gatternig. Grandfather to Bobbi Vine, Tanya Booth, Sydney Hill and Eve Gatternig. Special “Gramps” to Amy Lee Cathcart and Tyler “Scotty” Leindecker. Great Grandfather to Jasmine Vine, Connor Vine and Addison Young. Also survived by sister, Brigita Gioia (Orlando) of Sault Ste. Marie and brothers, Fritz Gatternig (Tilde) of Villach, Austria and Theo Gatternig of Toronto). Predeceased by his parents Josef and Maria Gatternig and sister, Johanna. Ted also had a special place in his heart for Mocha and Hailey, family dogs who also predeceased him, and undoubtedly greeted him with wagging tails on the other side.
Although Ted did not find a profession in baking, he took great pride in his career as a foreman “company man” with Dorans Brewery, even after his retirement. His eyes always gleamed when he wore his Doran’s jacket … even in the last months of his life. Ted was very talented in art and often painted scenery from places he visited and his homeland, Austria. He also loved to joke around and would draw comical notes and cards for friends and loved ones, always signing with his initials and a happy face.
In August 2011, after surviving a life-altering stroke, Ted moved to Carleton Place, ON where he spent his last 9 years. He lived independently at Riverview Seniors’ Residence where he was known as the “squirrel man” because he would sit in the yard for hours feeding peanuts to the squirrels. Here, his life was extended by the expertise and care of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital and the Rosamond Wind of the Almonte General Hospital. A special heartfelt thank you to the staff of the Rosamond Wing who saw how special Ted was and showed him respect and compassion to his last breath. Their empathy and care for both Ted and our family is much appreciated.
As Ted requested, there will be no funeral service. He will take one last trip to the eastern shores of Canada, visiting Peggy’s Cove and then making his way back to the shores of Lake Superior where his ashes will lay to rest at the home of Melinda Gatternig. A small celebration of his life is being considered on what would have been his 88th birthday on August 8 to be held in Carleton Place (please contact [email protected] if you would like to be provided with details).
If you would like to honour a memory of Ted, please consider a donation to the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital Foundation (https://www.cpdmh.ca/foundation).
“Do not stand at my grave and cry… I am not here, I did not die.”