April 11, 1929 – May 14 2013

Harald R. Vogel, Born April 11, 1929, Age 84. Harald asked for a simple memorial to read:

Arrived: 11 April 1929

Did my thing!

Departed: 14 May 2013

But there was so much more to Harald doing his ”thing” over 84 years… Born in Breslau, Germany, he grew up dealing with the the rise, and fall of Hitler, and all the turmoil that was brought to his family and his community in Germany. Escaping from the ”East” in 1946, Harald, with his father and mother, made their way to Canada (March of 1952) to link up with his sister, and the family started again in the ”West.”

Harald built his resume, or letters of recommendation, that ultimately led to his being able to travel from Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan (November of 1955), where he worked for some engineering firms and the Ford Motor Company for a time. Later, moving through Chicago, he met Jean Nielson, a nurse, from Valley City, North Dakota. They married in January of 1960, while living in San Francisco, California. Working in the Bay Area for Murphy Pacific Steel, then transitioning to general construction, Harald also took college classes and became a FAA certified avionics installer, working on private aircraft. He never retired from a job, just moved on to the next endeavor.

Harald and Jean raised three children, Esther Siewert, of Redmond, OR, Hans Vogel (and wife, Dana), of Richland, WA, and Erik Vogel (and wife, Beth), of Santa Rosa, CA. The family was very active, and enjoyed their association with the Marin Ski Club, and the lodge that Harald (and the family) helped construct and maintain at Donner Summit. Many a weekend was spent there, either during ski season, or on ”work weekends” over the summer.

The mountains were a calling to Harald, where he lived for years following his divorce from Jean in December of 1989. Harald lived and worked in Truckee, CA, as well as in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe. Over the winters, Harald worked at Mount Rose Ski Resort in the rental shop. He loved working with ”the kids,” as he said they kept him young. He relished this time, as he then moved down to south of Reno, where he had his home with a full, picture window view of the mountain. He would work and ski, then come home and watch the mountain during his off time, while always finding new things to keep him busy.

During the summers, Harald also worked as a tour guide for local tour operators. He made many a friend while telling folks about the history and local culture of the greater Tahoe and Reno basin. These interactions led to him taking many a trip, traveling with his dear friend Gertie Burns, to places like China, Germany, Paris (for the 2000 new year celebration no less), and by himself to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. His world map he kept on the wall of his house has so many flags of places he has traveled to, it is too many to list.

With arthritis setting in, Harald was unable to tune skis in the rental shop at Mt. Rose, and had to call it quits in 2009. That led to more walking and hiking, where he met up with Betty Herold, his companion to the end. Harald and Betty tried their hand at RVing, and kept up the homestead until Harald’s first stroke on New Year’s eve of 2010. They moved into an apartment in Reno together, where they have lived until, ultimately, a third stroke took all the energy that Harald had left.

Harald asked that there not be a memorial service, just his simple message noted above. He will be missed by his family, including his grandchildren, Tina Ossa, Kyle Vogel, Declan Siewert, and Evan Vogel, as well as the extended family he has built around himself over the years.

The family would like to thank the staff at Infinity Hospice for all their support over the past several months.