Klaus Woerner Obituary

KLAUS D. WOERNER 1939-2005 It is with great sorrow that the family of Klaus Woerner announces his passing at home on Monday, February 7th, 2005. Born to Karl and Alice (Gremper) Woerner in Tiengen, Germany, on October 27, 1939, Klaus came to Canada (Montreal) in 1960. He had completed a four year apprenticeship as a precision mechanic at Braun Boverei in Switzerland but realized that an engineering degree was a prerequisite for a good position in Canada. After studying for three years at Concordia University in Montreal, Klaus moved to Toronto and completed his degree in industrial engineering at Ryerson. Always wanting to have his own business, he started an engineering company in 1978 which became ATS-Automation Tooling Systems. It grew into a very successful company with twenty-six worldwide divisions and over 4,000 employees. He leaves to mourn his cherished wife of 37 years, Anna; a daughter Astrid and husband Michael Kropp; and a son Erik, all of Kitchener-Waterloo. Papa will be greatly missed by three darling grandchildren: Madison, Alexander, and Claire Kropp. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph W. Emerson Klaus’s vision and courage in the engineering field and in his life have left many trails and pathways on which others can walk. Lawrence G. Tapp, Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of ATS has said of Klaus: "Klaus was a gifted engineer, entrepreneur and business leader who made a significant and lasting contribution to the global automation industry, to the Region of Waterloo where he chose to found ATS more than 25 years ago and to thousands of young engineers and tradespeople around the world who benefited from his commitment to apprenticeship training. His sharp intellect, dedication to adding value through innovation, global insight, and passion to succeed made him one of Canada’s great entrepreneurs." Klaus won numerous distinguished awards including Business Leader of the Year (Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce) and in 1997, the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year.   A celebration of his life and a memorial service will be held at the Centre In The Square, 101 Queen Street North in Kitchener on Saturday, February 12th at 3:00 p.m. Cremation has occurred. Memorial contributions to the University of Waterloo Health Science Campus would be appreciated as your expression of sympathy. These donations can be arranged through the Edward R. Good Funeral Home 171 King Street South in Waterloo.