HENRY (HANK) HILDEBRANDT

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HENRY (HANK) HILDEBRANDT

March 15, 1929 – December 19, 2024

In the early morning hours of December 19, 2024, Henry (Hank) Hildebrandt passed away at the age of 95 years. He always was a morning person…

Born on March 15, 1929, to Bernard and Margaret Hildebrandt, Hank was the sixth of ten children. Growing up on the farm at Arden, Manitoba, he learned very early the values of hard work, independence, and careful spending. He was unable to complete his schooling, as he was needed to help out on the farm, but we all think he did very well with what he referred to as his “grade eight education”.

After leaving the farm, Hank spent the majority of his working years (36 in fact) with the Manitoba Department of Highways, running a motor grader. He built and maintained roads in the summer and plowed snow in the winter.

On August 18, 1956, Hank married Margaret Haines of Miami, Manitoba. Their only child, Shelley, was born in 1958. This little family has now grown to include son-in-law, Tom Yorke; granddaughter, Christina Baker (Ryan); grandson, Jason Yorke (Jenna), and two treasured great-granddaughters, Jaycee and Zoey Yorke. He was so proud of them all!

After retirement and Margaret’s death in 1992, Hank busied himself with woodworking, gardening, the cabin at Otter Lake, and being the family and neighbourhood “Mr. Fix-it” and “Mr. Build-it”. The only project he wouldn’t tackle was plumbing, and then he didn’t even want to be in the same building! He enjoyed helping his neighbours and regularly cleared up to seven driveways in the winter with his trusty snow-blower, sometimes more than once a day. Jason now has the snowblower and it still works great!

Our Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa was an independent and determined man (in the Hildebrandt family, we call it “stubborn” and apparently, it is genetic!). He always kept his promises. He was a man of few words but his love for his family was always shown by his actions and his support. We love him and will miss him!

Predeceased by his wife, Margaret (and all of her siblings); brothers, Bill, Frank, and Barney and sisters, Tina, Margaret and Edna, all of their spouses, and brother-in-law, Ben Klassen. Hank is survived by sisters, Annie (Aron) Funk and Linda Klassen and brother, Ernie Hildebrandt (Kathy), as well as many nieces and nephews.

Hank’s wish was to remain in his own home for as long as possible, and we would like to thank his wonderful neighbours who helped us to make that possible until spring of this year. In his final months, he was cared for by the staff at BRHC (A2 and A3) and most recently, at Valleyview Care Home. We are so appreciative of their kindness.

As per Hank’s wishes, there will be no formal funeral service. We would encourage anyone wanting to honor him to plant a tree or a rosebush or to help out a neighbour, as all of these things were meaningful to him.

Condolences: memorieschapel.com

As published in Brandon Sun on Dec 28, 2024