Obituary of Karl Wilhelm Rogall

At 1:48 AM on Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, Karl Wilhelm Ernst Rogall succumbed to a lengthy battle with leiomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer in his abdomen. He passed away quietly a few hours after his loved ones left him at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, Ottawa. Karl was 89 years old, born November 15, 1925 in Soest, Germany.On Saturday April 25, 2015, Karl experienced a fall during the night which landed him in hospital with a call to 911. Unknown to anyone but God, this would be his final week and his health declined very quickly. Although his mind was sharp until the very end, his body would no longer respond as he wished and he became very weak and he laboured to breathe.His illness forced him to uproot his life in Kingston and has since been cared for by family in Ottawa. Karl found himself in and out of hospital frequently. In May of 2014 at the campus of the Kingston General Hospital Cancer Centre, Karl and his family received the sad news that he would have but months left to his life. Karl and family agreed to radiation treatment of his cancer with hopes of minimizing pain and slowing the growth of an incurable disease. Chemotherapy was not an option for him given his ever-weakening state of health. The risks and side effects of chemotherapy concerned Karl, so it was something he was unwilling to forego. His cancer quickly metastasized to become full-blown lung cancer. Karl was no stranger to cancer having lost his bladder many years ago to bladder cancer, an illness which may be have been related to his occupation.Karl (aka Opa) leaves behind his loving wife of 69 years, Magdalena, and his three children and their families Birgit (& James) Selkirk, Wolfgang (& Shelley) Rogall, and Daniel (& Kim) Rogall, his grand children: Dante, Heidi, Chris, Marc, Andy, and his six great grandchildren: Sydney, Katherine, Elizabeth, Sam, Hayden, and Zachary. Karl also leaves behind three sisters, Brigitte in Hay Bay (near Kingston), and Anne & Renate who still reside in Germany. Karl did often mention how he missed his many friends in Kingston and how he wished he could return home. Also, it would be remiss not mention Mia, the little Havanese dog that spent countless hours on Karl’s lap through his many years of illness, she brought him great joy.At age 33, Karl immigrated from Germany with his young family in 1958 with little more than a few suitcases. He was employed at, and spent most of his career in Works Engineering at Dupont at Kingston’s nylon plant. He was highly respected and highly regarded by his crew and his colleagues. He often mentioned that he didn’t want to retire, he loved his job and his work. He missed being busy.Karl was great with his mind and his hands, he was a masterful stained glass artist. He was a creator with a go-getter attitude. He wasn’t afraid of hard work and in the early seventies he bought a chunk of land on Burridge Lake near Westport and built a family cottage from the ground up, practically on his own. He had a fondness for nature, in particular the numerous species of birds he kept well fed in his back yard and observed from his dining room window. He loved to go for long drives and walks in the country, and he enjoyed travelling, particularly Europe. He was an avid shutterbug and loved and embraced technology. He was a quick study on the computer, something he learned very late in life. He preferred a Mac to a PC.His family, although relieved that his pain and suffering is finally over, pray that he is in a better place and reunited with his brother’s Fritz and Ernst in heaven. He is and will always be deeply and dearly missed by those who knew and loved him. No funeral arrangements are being made, although a memorial service will be held in Ottawa for Karl at a later date (to be announced).The family would like to thank the many incredible people we have met and who have helped provide Karl with comfort, care, love and compassion through this difficult time. Unfortunately, there are simply too many to list.Please feel free to reach out to Karl’s family with his email address “karlrogall@me.com”, or if you have questions about gifts or donations in his name.Jesus said: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mathew 11:28Rest in Peace, Karl (Dad, Opa) and good bye. We love you dearly and miss you terribly. We will hold you in our hearts forever. Arrangements entrusted to CATARAQUI CEMETERY AND FUNERAL SERVICES.