Farmington Obituary: Horst Scholz, 89

Horst Scholz, 89, of Farmington, died peacefully on November 5, 2016 at Arden Courts of Farmington.

Horst was born in Silesia, Germany, on a farm, which had belonged to his family for generations. His father died in an accident when Horst was only six years of age. From this time on, Horst was brought up as the heir of the farm. As a teenager, he served briefly in the German military at the end of WWII, and was injured in the war.

His family, including his mother, sister and old aunt had to leave the farm in January of 1945 and arrived as refugees in Western Germany. Silesia became a part of Poland as a consequence of the war. After a difficult life in a devastated Germany, he immigrated to the United States in 1955. Soon after immigrating, he connected with the German community in the New Britain area.

He attended Hartford State Technical College while working in the New Britain manufacturing industry, finally settling into a position at Stanadyne Corporation in Windsor. In 1962, he settled in Farmington, and was very proud of purchasing his first home in America.

He married Gisela (Seeliger) Scholz in 1969, whom he was married to for 47 years, and with whom he raised two children. After working at Stanadyne for 33 years, he retired in 1994 at the age of 67.

He was dedicated to his family, helping his children with pursuing their interests. He woke up early every morning for over 10 years to help his children with their paper routes, and engaged in many after school extracurricular activities for his children throughout the years. Horst had a passion for gardening, traveling, hiking, machinery, taking care of his dog, feeding wild birds, helping out at church, and taking care of the elderly. He enjoyed spending his time outdoors, staying busy by working in his yard and helping his neighbors.

In 2013, Horst and Gisela received the “Angels of Grace” award from Grace Lutheran Church, honoring them for their dedicated service and involvement with the church for over 35 years.

Horst lived in Farmington for 54 years. He was a friendly face and kind man to all who knew him.

Horst is survived by his wife, Gisela, his two children Gregory and Gabriela, their spouses, three loving grandchildren, and his sister Rosemarie in Belgium.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 2:00 pm at Grace Lutheran Church, 46 Woodland St., Hartford.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace Lutheran Church.