Obituary of Horst Toplarski

Horst Toplarski, 79, of Salinas, passed away peacefully on Thursday morning, December 18, 2008, at the Carmel Hills Care Facility in Monterey with his family by his side. Horst was born in Oberhausen, Germany on July 24, 1929. He and his wife, Hildegard immigrated to the United States in 1957, and the family moved to the Salinas Valley in 1967, where he worked as a machinist at McCormick Schilling until his retirement in 1995. Horst love traveling to Germany with his family to visit relatives. He also enjoyed bicycling, gardening, and the beauty of the Monterey Peninsula. Horst is survived by his wife, Hildegard Toplarski of Salinas, his daughter and son-in law, Andrea and Jeff Shukis of San Jose, and his son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Linda Toplarski of Monterey. He is also survived by his brother, Friedrich of Montana and numerous nieces and nephews, both in the United States and Germany. He was preceded in death by his father, Friedrich, his mother, Margarete, and his oldest brother Heinrich. Horst’s family requests that in lieu of flowers and cards that donations be made in his memory to: The Monterey Alzheimer’s Association, 182 El Dorado St., Monterey, CA 93940, or the Monterey County SPCA, 1002 Highway 68, Monterey, CA 93942. Our beloved husband and father now has his wings and his spirit is soaring high! A celebration of Horst’s life will be privately held with family and friends after the holidays.