- Date Of Birth: November 4, 1934
- Date Of Death: December 1, 2018
- State: Colorado
John Speier “Hans”, 84, of Denver, Colorado, passed away peacefully Saturday, December 1, 2018 at Denver Health Medical Center.
Born November 4, 1934, in Sonsbeck, Germany, he was the son of the late Heinrich and Josefine Speier. Hans began his life in the arms of a loving family. At the age of 6, as Hans prepared to begin grade school, a time of excitement quickly turned into one of worry when his father was drafted to be a Luftwaffe medic. The next few years of Hans’ life were tragic, marked by the ramifications of World War II. The war claimed his father’s life and left Hans, his sister Gertrude, and mother distraught. From 1945 through 1948, Hans, Gertrude, and their mother had to escape from Russian-controlled Germany and worked towards rebuilding their lives in Buer, Germany. Surviving a time of mass poverty and hunger, the family was supported from surrounding family in Gelsenkirchen and distant relatives in Denver, Colorado. When he was 15, Hans gained an apprenticeship in printing. Driven by his difficult upbringing, Hans taught himself the operation of a linotype machine to gain advancement. At age 19, Hans’ mother passed away.
