Wanda Emily (Lockstadt) Reger

Wanda Emily Reger (nee Lockstadt).  Born May 2, 1925 in Germany, died peacefully in her sleep on July 6th, 2022 in Huntsville, Ontario.

Wanda lived a long and eventful life.  She was the youngest of seven children and persevered through World War II.  She eventually fled from east to west and settled near Munich, where she joined her brother and met his good friend Erich, who eventually became her husband. She immigrated to Windsor, Canada in 1949 and worked tirelessly to establish a new life at a time when there was no government support for new Canadians.  Wanda attended night school to learn English while working three jobs. She became a Canadian citizen once her English was proficient enough to pass the test.  Erich eventually joined her in Canada, and they were married in 1952.  The family relocated to Oakville in 1963, where both she and her husband worked for Ford Canada.  They gathered their nest egg and took early retirement in Huntsville, starting a hobby farm where they raised every livestock imaginable.

After almost 40 years of farming and cottaging on nearby Lake Vernon, Wanda became a fixture within her family and children’s many friends.  Referred to as Oma by all, she was famous for her cooking and hospitality.  Wanda was especially proud of the greasy paper plate in her dining room cabinet, signed by Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada, praising her delicious home-made sausages.  She was honoured when Prime Minister Stephen Harper enjoyed a second helping of her famous apple pie.  When her granddaughters arrived with recipe cards to enjoy a day of baking and cooking, they left empty handed.  How can you write down a recipe with a handful of sugar and a pinch of salt and mug of water as units of measurement?

Wanda was the proud mother of four children Walter (Ursula), Ingrid (Eric), Erin (Robert) and Eric.  She proudly displayed their university photos, terribly faded by years of sunlight.  Beloved Oma of nine adored grandchildren: Samantha (Darin), Rachel (Rob), Robin (Sean), Philip (Carolina), Heather (Phil), Scott (Brenna), Patrick (Leila), Michael (Molly), John (Manu). Great Oma (Oma-ma) to Rielly and Frankie. Education was exceedingly important to Wanda, and she’d come a long way from her grade school education to have all her family graduate from university.

Following the death of her husband in 2010, Wanda continued to live on her cherished farm.  She was still cutting grass and stacking firewood for her wood stove, until six weeks ago when she moved into a retirement home. At 97 years young, she passed away swiftly at Huntsville Memorial Hospital.

A visitation will be held on Friday, July 15, 2022 from 11 am until 1 p.m. at  Billingsley Funeral Home, Huntsville.  The funeral service will follow at 1 p.m. in the funeral home chapel.  Burial to follow at All Saints Anglican Cemetery. Reception following at 112 Golden Pheasant Drive.  For those unable to attend the funeral service, livestreaming will be available through Wanda's memorial page at www.billingsleyfuneralhome.com   As an expression of sympathy memorial donations can be made to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation in lieu of flowers.