Westfield – 
Karl Heinz Hilbig of Westfield MA, (1927-2017) passed away peacefully on July 15, 2017 surrounded by his family. He was born on June 4, 1927 to Arno Hilbig and Gertrude Scharf in Crossen, Germany, where he grew up to become a toolmaker. In 1950, he married the love of his life of 67 years- Brunhilde Helass. In 1954 they immigrated to the United States and became citizens. Over the years his hard work and leadership skills brought him to the place of General Manager of Manufacturing at Berkshire Industries in Westfield, where he was loved and respected for his strong work ethic and high standards for 32 years, and gave much of his time to bring success to the business. Besides his beloved wife, Brunhilde, he leaves his daughters: Sylvia and husband Greg Wallis, Claudia and husband Vahid Karimi, his four treasured grandchildren: Justin and his wife Heather Karimi – who also blessed him with a great-grandson – Maxwell, Janine (Wallis) and her husband Justin Kunz, Jonathan Karimi and his wife Cammy, and Christopher Wallis. He leaves many wonderful memories of vacations where he and his family enjoyed the beauty of the world, and a home that welcomed the grandchildren with happy times and many wonderful holiday traditions. He was so proud of each of his grandchildren, and rarely missed a soccer game or ballet recital. In his retirement years, he finally had time to pursue woodworking. The grandchildren brought new inspiration, and beautiful wood pieces were designed for them, all of them treasures reminding each of of their loving “Opa”. He leaves a legacy of love, sacrifice, perseverance, and faithfulness to what he valued, and will be dearly missed. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the staff at Noble Hospital for their kindness and caring for Karl and our family. A memorial service will be held on Friday July 21 at 11:30 am. at Saint John’s Lutheran Church 60 Broad St, Westfield, MA. 01085. A private burial will be held at Agawam Center Cemetery. For those who wish to give in honor of Karl-Heinz, donations may be made to Saint John’s Lutheran Church, Westfield.
