Obituary of Henry Joseph Oss

January 27, 1919 - Bombay, India

May 23, 2022 - Calgary, Alberta

Henry was born in Bandra, Bombay, India. His parents, Harry and Edith raised eight children, of which Henry was the sixth.  He was educated at Saint Stanislaw’s High School and went on to study at the University of Bombay College of Engineering, Poona in 1936.

After finishing university with degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Henry wrote and passed the highly competitive national civil service examinations. Coming from a railway family, he joined the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway in 1940, where both his father and grandfather had worked for many years before him.

In early 1944, Henry joined the Indian Army and was involved in the Burma Campaign as an engineer responsible for managing the building and repair of infrastructure, this experience gave him a good grasp of civil engineering as well.  Following his wartime service, he returned to the BB and CI Railway and eventually became a district engineer. From 1946 to 1959, he worked in many parts of western India and enjoyed it very much, essentially living an expat life.

In 1946, Henry married Audrey Dias in Junagadh, India. Between 1948 and 1963, they had six children: Derek, Elizabeth, Jeffrey, Jennifer, Henry Jr. and Paul. In 1959, the family emigrated to Canada and established themselves in Montreal where they had numerous relatives living nearby. These extended families lent great support to each other in what must have been a challenging experience with so many small children and a different culture.

Henry worked as an engineer for Bell Canada from 1959 until his retirement in 1979. He and Audrey remained in Montreal until 1983, and during this period, they travelled, enjoyed Bridge with many friends and relatives, and volunteered at their parish church, Saint Ignatius of Loyola. In 1983, Henry and Audrey decided to move to Edmonton, Alberta to be with their daughters who had recently relocated there. During this time, they continued to enjoy their retirement as they had in Montreal and, aside from their deeply held religious faith, family, relatives, and friends always remained an integral part of their lives. Sadly, in 2013, Audrey died, and Henry eventually moved to Calgary in 2015.

Henry will be remembered by family, friends, and relatives as a man of considerable wisdom and character. To the end of his life, he remained passionate about playing challenging games like Bridge and Scrabble as well as being a consummate reader. He also believed in the health benefits of a daily walk, which he practiced all his life as well as a regular cocktail, Manhattans and Martinis being special favorites.

Henry is survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Kowalyk (husband Jerry, daughter Lisa and son David) of Edmonton and Jennifer Saunders (husband Christopher) of Calgary; and his four sons, Derek of Vancouver (wife Faten, daughter Clara and granddaughter Karmen Sophia), Jeffrey of Winnipeg (partner Herta), Henry Jr. of Calgary (wife Janet and son Christian) and Paul of Edmonton (wife Shelly and daughter Emma).

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Edmonton followed by interment at Our Lady of Peace Cemetery. Family and friends who are unable to attend in person are invited to join Henry’s service streamed live (see below) on the day of the service. For those who are unable to view live, a recording of the service will be posted. Condolences, memories, and photos can also be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of Henry Oss, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.

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