Karin Helga Barthel

Karin Helga Barthel (née Schneider) 1942 – 2025

Karin Helga Barthel, born November 21,1942, in Targu Mures, Hungary, passed away peacefully on September 4th, 2025, leaving behind a life defined by love, family, and resilience.

Karin’s early years were shaped by the Second World War. After losing her father, she journeyed with her mother, Katharina Martini (née Scherlinger), and sister Sigrun Schneider from Hungary to Germany before immigrating to Canada in 1949. The family arrived in Halifax and later settled in Preston, Ontario, where her mother married John Martini.

Karin attended Preston High School and began her career at Haney & Haney Law Office. She later met and married Douglas Barthel, and together they raised two daughters, Katharine Barthel and Jennifer Evers (née Barthel), in their Waterloo home. She had a true gift for entertaining—She loved to explore new recipes and often impressed her guests with her culinary skills, her personal style, and her generosity. Her home was often filled with friends and community members when she hosted luncheons and teas for the many committees and boards she served on. More than anything else, Karin treasured creating memories with and for her daughters. She poured her heart and energy into creating a warm and loving home as they grew up, one filled with encouragement, support, and delicious food.

In the late 1990s, Karin began a second career in real estate. She enjoyed this profession and made some incredible connections in the community, including some life-long friends made while working with Coldwell Banker/Canada Trust, and REMAX Twin Cities. She continued to give generously to her community, donating her time for more than 25 years as a volunteer, at both K-W Hospital and the K-W Symphony Orchestra, two organizations that held deep meaning for her. She loved and valued the arts, weaving this passion into how she raised her children, encouraging them to dance, sing, act and play to their hearts’ content. She cherished outings with friends, enjoying performances at the Drayton Festival and delighted in being a patron of both the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, visiting and enjoying performances multiple times a season: a joy and tradition she loved for more than 50 years.

Although Karin preferred to stay close to home, she was often the traveling sidekick of her beloved sister Sigi, and they shared many adventures including trips to Hawaii, Germany and Italy as well as crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary in 2007. She also shared many memories with her family at the “condo” in Delray Beach, Florida, enjoying March break getaways and winter escapes.

In early 2015, Karin was diagnosed with two forms of cancer and given a prognosis of just two years. Through determination and strength—and with the exceptional care she received from her teams at the Grand River Cancer Centre and the Princess Margaret Hospital—she lived more than a decade beyond that time. She never allowed illness to overshadow her joy, and her grit and perseverance, instilled by her own mother, were a constant source of inspiration and admiration to all who had the privilege of knowing her. She often said that her children were her greatest accomplishment and joy; that they “Made it all worthwhile” and that she lived her life with no regrets—grateful not only for her “girls”, but others in the family including, Katharine’s partner, John Loper, and Jennifer’s former spouse Derek Evers. She was a proud grandmother to her beloved grandchildren, Audrey and Elliott Evers.

Karin will be lovingly remembered for her sense of style, her beautiful smile, her indominable spirit and the joy that she brought to those she loved dearly. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday October 18, 2025, from 1–4 p.m. at the Charcoal Steak House in Kitchener.

Donations may be made to the Dorothy Ley Hospice in her memory.