Obituary of Richard Alexander Harpe

Richard Harpe, resident of Valhalla Centre, AB, passed away on Friday, June 2, 2023, surrounded by family, at the Beaverlodge Hospital, at the age of 79 years.

Richard was born September 4, 1943, in Wreschen, Poland to Wolfgang and Anne-Marie Harpe. When he was 5 years old, his family immigrated to Canada, settling on a farm in Demmitt, AB. Richard attended Fairview College where he met his wife Anne, and they were married in 1964.

Richard started his electrical career with Cookshaw Electric, and, in 1972, they moved to the Hanson farm after Anne’s father Mark passed away. While farming and raising three children, he found time to start Valard Power Ltd.

Richard was very involved in his community. He was County Councillor for Division 8 for almost 30 years, retiring in 2016. He was most recently involved with the Valhalla Heritage Society and strongly supported the Valhalla Community School.

Richard and Anne enjoyed traveling; spending their winters in Jamaica where he walked the beach and was an avid scuba diver. He also enjoyed visiting relatives in Germany and Norway. Family was very important to Richard; he was always ready to barbecue hamburgers for the kids for Sunday lunch.

Richard will be sadly missed by his loving wife of 59 years Anne; children: Andre (Diane) Harpe, Laurel (Philip) Sheridan, and Rita (Todd) Sawchuk; grandchildren: Tatiana (Marcus) Harpe, Ariane (Dakota) Harpe, Aarika Harpe, Jennifer (Jordan) Allison, Tim Lepp, Kennedy (Logan) Zagrodney, Randy (Keira) Sheridan, Darby Sawchuk, Alex (Megan) Sawchuk, Andrew (Jenyce) Sawchuk, and Simon Sawchuk; great-grandchildren: Bailey Allison, Benjamin, and William Sheridan; siblings: Regine (Albert) Kutzner, Gabriele (Brian) Ailey, Anne-Carine Harpe, Ilse (Rick) Harpe, Olaf (Tara) Harpe, and Daisy (Glenn) Harpe; sisters-in-law Catherine (Ken) Hanson, and Joyce Ulrich; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was predeceased by his parents Wolfgang and Anne-Marie Harpe, parents-in-law Mark and Lottie Hanson, and brother-in-law Don Ulrich.

The family would like to thank Dr. Duta and the staff of the Beaverlodge Hospital for their wonderful care and compassion during his short stay.

A Viewing will take place Saturday, June 10, 2023, at 1:00 pm, at the Valhalla Lutheran Church (9802 100 Avenue) in Valhalla. Funeral Service to follow at 2:00 pm.

Due to the limited capacity of the church the Valhalla Community School auditorium will offer a live streaming of the Funeral Service.

Interment to follow at Valhalla Centre Cemetery, with a luncheon to follow at the Valhalla Community School auditorium all are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Richard’s memory may be made to the Valhalla Lutheran Church (Box 49 Valhalla Center, AB, T0H 2M0).

A Livestream of the service will be accessible a few moments prior to service time on Beaverlodge Funeral Service's Facebook page. To access the Livestream follow the attached link https://www.facebook.com/blfuneralservice/