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In Memoriam: Herfried Scheer 

On Sunday, Dec. 14, the Loyola Chapel filled with the sounds of Austrian folk songs in celebration of the life of Herfried Scheer who served as an associate professor of German at Concordia from 1969 until his retirement in 2003. Friedl, as he was affectionately known, died of cancer on Dec. 3, 2008.

During the ceremony, many people, including his son Harald, shared fond memories of his sense of perseverance, his love of life, his passion for imparting knowledge to his students and his humane spirit.

His love of learning about languages and culture brought him in contact with the traditional Hutterite communities of Alberta. Gaining their trust and respect, Scheer was able to scientifically study their old Austrian dialect and would become an international authority on the Hutterite language. He obtained his BA and MA at the University of Alberta and then his PhD at McGill University in 1972.

A multi-faceted individual, he will be missed by all who crossed his path. In the words of his friend and colleague Associate Professor Helmut Famira, “He left an irreparable hole in the fabric of my life. He was not only a man, he was a good man.”