Claus Heinrich Propfe, 82, of Torrington, husband of 58 years to Noreen (Flanigan) Propfe, went into the hands of his loving father on Saturday, December 12, 2020, at home surrounded by his loving family. He was the son of the late Heino and Gertrude (Frahm) Propfe. He was born on December 2, 1938, on his parents’ farm in Altenwillershagen, Germany. In 1952, he and his family fled East Germany, leaving behind all of their possessions, immigrating to the United States in 1954. He graduated from Litchfield High School before enlisting in the US Army. After he was honorably discharged, he settled in Torrington, raising his family and worked for the Torrington Company as a machine tool designer for 37 years. He was a faithful member of St Francis of Assisi Parish where he served as a Minister of the Eucharist and taught new converts as an instructor in the Right of Christian Initiation. He was a longtime member of the Amateur Radio Relay League, his passion for ham radio enabled him to make friends all over the world. He could build anything, fix anything, and was always right their ready to pick up the pieces. He was a tender-hearted soul, who could never say no to his children and most especially his grandchildren. He was always ready to take a picture, tell a story, or just be there to cheer on his loved ones. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and friends, driving his Corvette and experiencing the beauty of the world, always expressing gratitude and appreciation for the beauty of creation.
Claus is survived by his son and daughter in law, Kevin and Alexanderia Propfe of Winchester Center, and his son and daughter in law Timothy and Stacy Propfe of Wolcott; seven grandchildren, Madeline and Catherine Propfe, Joshua, Jonah, Caryssa Propfe and Joseph and Madeline Provenzano, as well as many nieces and nephews. He is survived by his sister Christine (Propfe) Clark of New Canaan, and his sister and brother and law Wiebke (Propfe) and William Whitney of Los Angeles, CA, and his cousins Gerdt Propfe of Uncasville, Peter Propfe of New Hartford, and Carol (Koch) Hermanovski of Dallas TX.
Graveside Services will be held Friday, December 17, at 11:00am at St. Peters Cemetery, Torrington. (Please Note Change in Service) Memorial contributions may be made to the Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield, online at shrinect.org or PO Box 667 Litchfield, CT 06759 and to St. John Paul the Great Academy, 360 Prospect St., Torrington CT 06790.
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