Horst R. Ulich, 76, of Brockton, born in Germany in 1939, died on Dec 31, 2015. Many family members were at his side. He is survived by his two children: Bob Ulich (Mary), Debbie Ulich, and four grandchildren: Christopher Ulich, Ryan Tran-Ngoc, Victoria Pangia (Thomas), and Austin Ulich, as well as brothers Wally Ulich (Helen) and Kurt Petzold (Pat), and his former wife Joan Ulich, along with many nieces and nephews.
Growing up in war-torn Germany, Horst learned the automobile repair trade as a teenager at Henschel in Kassel, West Germany. He emigrated to the United States in January 1957 with dreams of a better life. After a tour with the US Army as a member of the 82nd Airborne, he embarked on a lifelong career as an automobile mechanic. In 1960, he married Joan Marshall and they started a family. He moved to Pembroke, MA where he lived for over 30 years. He was founder and owner of German Motors, Inc, which was located in Quincy, MA. There, he specialized in repairing and selling Mercedes Benz automobiles for more than 30 years. The last 11 years of his life were spent working at the Home Depot in Brockton in the tool repair and tool rental shop. He found purpose in sharing his knowledge and love of small machine repair and enjoyed the friendship of his many colleagues.
In his 30s, he discovered and nurtured a love of sailing and spent much of his time cruising the coast of New England. He was also fortunate to travel quite extensively in his lifetime. He loved wildlife and was fascinated by anything related to science and outer space. He enjoyed watching movies, especially the classics, and loved the companionship of several dogs during his latter years.
He was a proud German with a fighting spirit. He maintained a positive attitude about life despite his health challenges and he truly believed you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. He was determined to not let cancer kill him. He left this world with no regrets.
Visiting hours will be held at the Shepherd Funeral Home at 7 Mattakeesett St, (Rt 14) Pembroke, from 4-7 PM on Tuesday, January 5th. A memorial service will be held at the Shepherd Funeral Home at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, January 6th. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Horst Ulich to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via www.dana-farber.org/gift. For more information or for directions please visit www.shepherdfuneralhome.com. Shepherd Funeral Home, Pembroke.