Hans J Sachs - Online Memorial Website

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Hans Sachs
Born in Germany
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Life story
October 18, 1946
Hans was born, near Hamburg, Germany, the 4th of 4 boys, 
to mother Martha, and father, Leohnard. His brother, Johan,
the 2nd oldest, was tragically killed at the age of 4,
and Hans never knew him.
Hans' parents divorced when Hans was still very young, around the age of 4. He remembered little of his father; in fact, when his mother remarried later, his stepfather, Alfred, became the man who Hans thought of as father. Still, he felt abandoned by his natural father, since his brothers and he never saw him, even though he lived in the same city. This caused Hans to have an underlying deep sadness his entire life, belied by his very idiosyncratic sense of humour. Photos of a young Hans, in his traditional lederhosen, show a guarded boy, whose expression tugs at the viewer's heartstrings. Echoes of this expression remain in photos taken throughout his life, even when he is smiling. Nobody will forget those bright sky-blue eyes  -- and a colour which I've always considered my favourite.

Still, Hans had many fond memories of growing up with his other brothers -- Peter, the oldest, and Leo, the third.  Of course, with Hans being closer in age to Leo, he was seen as a pest to Leo & his friends. Peter, being the oldest, kept out a watchful eye for Hans, and often gave him money to buy treats.

Believe it or not, Hans' mid-to-late childhood and teenage years were spent helping out in a series of bars that Martha & Alfred owned. No wonder he had such a predilection, and seemingly unquenchable thirst, for beer! While I knew him, it never got him into trouble. (On the other hand, that golden god RUM could loosen his tongue like nothing else! ) There are wonderful photos of him in the bar, blonde hair slicked back in a pompadour. The first time I went to Hamburg with him, as we strolled through the streets in the evening, of the very neighbourhood he grew up in, he said it was a good thing he had left Germany -- or he would have ended up like one of the sad barflies we'd see in the neighbourhood dives.

Hans' first "real" attempt at work came as he apprenticed as a grocer in high school. When asked why on earth he chose that profession, he would shrug and say he couldn't think of anything else! It wasn't till later that he discovered his two great passions -- playing squash, and gardening. I certainly had nothing to do with the first, but like to think I engendered the second. Hans always lamented the fact that he didn't learn to play squash till his 30's -- too late, he said, to become REALLY good. Still, he WAS good, and fiendishly competitive. He was very pleased with himself for winning the last squash match he ever played, after a 7-month lay-off after he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia.
February 23, 2006
Passed away on February 23, 2006.