Obituary of Charles Paul Kretzschmar

Professor Charles Paul Kretzschmar, 91, passed away peacefully on January 28th, 2016, his beloved eldest daughter Victoria's 57th birthday. He was surrounded by family at his long term care home in Ottawa, ON.Charles was born on Dec 11, 1924 in Baltimore, Maryland to Oscar and Anna (Clarke) Kretzschmar, both natives of Baltimore themselves, with ancestors from Germany and Ireland, respectively. A veteran of World War II, Charles was a member of the US Army Air Force from 1943 until he was honourably discharged in December 1945. Although trained in Economics, Charles primarily taught Sociology at a number of educational institutions in the United States and Canada. He retired in 1989 after 22 years at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. He was the author of a number of books on the various aspects of Sociology. Charles (a.k.a "Grandpa K"/"Railroad Charlie") had a life-long love of trains and traveling and followed this passion for many years after his retirement. He loved classical music, was proud of his German heritage (grandfather Gustav inspired his love of steam trains and the German culture), and never met a dog or "puddy tat" he didn't like. After 48 years in Saint John, in October 2015 he relocated to Ottawa, Ontario, where he spent the last 3 months living happily near his grandsons Logan and Declan. Pre-deceased by his parents and brother Roland, Charles is survived by his son, James Kretzschmar (Saint John); daughter Victoria (Kretzschmar) Eastman, son-in-law Jack Eastman and grandson Victor Eastman (Milo, Maine); daughter Angie Kretzschmar, son-in-law Derek Stibbard and grandsons Logan and Declan Stibbard (Ottawa); his former wife, Virginia (Tuttle) Kretzschmar (Saint John) and brother Richard Kretzschmar (Baltimore, MD).A private family service will be held in Ottawa. A memorial visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 from 6-8 PM at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (634-7424). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to his favourite charity, Child Haven International (www.childhaven.ca), or to a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be placed at www.BrenansFH.com. Charles was also a long time blood donor. This devotion began in his youth when he donated blood to help save his father’s life. Throughout his lifetime Charles gave the gift of life more than 100 times. In his memory, please consider donating blood to Canadian Blood Services or the American Red Cross.