Obituary of Mr. Claudius Fehr

Claudius Fehr passed away on January 22, 2021 at age 74 after a short illness. 

Born in Zurich Switzerland on September 22, 1946 to Arnold Fehr and Charlotte Hubmann, Claudius immigrated to Toronto in 1962 with his mother and his sister Katrin.  He attended the University of Toronto where he was an award winning honours biology student, and later received a Bachelor of Education.  Driven by his love of wine, he persuaded the LCBO to hire him as a product consultant in 1972, and worked to became a well-known authority and purchaser of old world wines in the Vintages department.  In 1977, he was one of the founding members of the Independent Wine Education Guild where he served as Education Coordinator for several years. After his retirement in 2006, Claudius returned to his roots in Biology and Education, volunteering for the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), and the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo.

Remembered by friends and family as a remarkably generous spirit, Claudius was always quick to share a meal or beverage – whatever he remembered to be the favourite of any given guest – or a treat from his stash of Swiss chocolate.  Grandchildren were quick to ask for the “Claudi Special” of chocolate, shortbread and marshmallows, whenever over for a jump in the family pool. 

Claudius will also be remembered for his passion for nature and conservation.  A tireless advocate for environmental policy, he also greatly enjoyed leading anyone who would follow on a walk or ski through various trails or newly discovered paths.  Sporting his trademark Birkenstocks and Tilley hat, he loved to explore new cross country terrain. His family will also fondly remember his passion for swimming in new lakes, which included a dip in snowy Lake Louise in late October.  He would pull over multiple times in a single road trip to explore a new body of water with his mask and snorkel.  Fortunately, a wonderful sense of humour meant he never took offense to the good natured teasing that resulted.

Claudius will be greatly missed by his wife of 50 years, Kevin O’Brien Fehr, his sons Markus (Vicky Kryriakou) and Stefan (Andrea Cerswell), and his grandchildren Mackenzie, Alex, Ellington, and Charlotte.  Because of current restrictions, Claudius’ funeral must be private.  However we plan to hold a celebration of Claudius’ life when his family and many friends can get together safely. Please leave us a comment on the condolence page if you would like to receive an invitation. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Wildlife Federation or the Toronto Wildlife Centre would be appreciated.