Bruno Raiskums

Raiskums, Bruno Ziedonis
It is with great sadness, but fond memories that we announce the passing of our Dad, Bruno Raiskums. He passed away peacefully at the age of 98 on August 10, 2018 at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Bruno is survived by his wife Annemarie (nee Mauer), sisters Valda Putenis and Ausma Vetra, and sons Olaf (Debbie), Gilbert (Cathy), Chris (Mandy) and Ray (Sue). He will be lovingly missed by his grandchildren, Julie, Jennifer, Kristen, Robert and Cole and great grandchildren, Wesley, Kelly, Nora and Charlie. He was born in Riga Latvia on March 24, 1920 and fought in WWII before emigrating to Canada. He completed his undergraduate education in Riga and his electrical engineering equivalency with the Professional Engineers of Ontario. He worked as a technologist at General Electric, the University of Toronto and Ryerson and ended his career as a professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton. Bruno was a master of creation when it came to fixing cars, household items or creating new automated devices for everyday life, all from first principles. He was also an accomplished pianist and enjoyed playing the piano, even on the day before his last trip to the hospital. He took pleasure in the simple things and always looked on the bright side. Even in his final days with more frequent bouts of pain, he never complained and if you asked him how he was doing, the response would be “never felt better, I’m still alive”. The integrity with which he lived his life is an inspiration to all.

A private service is being held after cremation at Ward Funeral Home in Oakville on Friday, August 17. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in memory of Bruno Raiskums.