He is fondly remembered above all by his long-time companion and good friend Hans Eichinger. “Heinz was a man who could shake hands. For him, working for people always came first,” remembers Eichinger.
In his mid-20s, Heinz Stricker was already actively in charge of the media department in the Diocese of Linz and worked there until he retired. He visited the parishes and deaneries throughout the diocese and was a great support, especially with regard to media work. “He always liked to be on the go and wanted to create awareness for the important issues in our society – humanity, the values of Christianity and the principles of Catholic social teaching,” says his friend.
How did he manage that? – “It wasn’t just the language that was important to him, but rather the visual level.” For various lectures, Heinz was able to draw on a wealth of information from his large pool of slides, overhead transparencies and films he made himself.
Empowering fellow human beings
After working for a long time as Amnesty International’s national spokesman for people in need, Heinz Stricker became increasingly interested in the ACUS (Working Group for Christianity and Social Democracy) in the 1990s, where he campaigned for a just society based on solidarity. In the position of long-standing head of ACUS Upper Austria, he seemed to have found his socio-political life’s work.
In addition to work, however, his private passion should not suffer – namely building model railways. “When we lived in the same building in December 1979, I often visited Heinz. A whole room consisted only of rails,” remembers Eichinger. “I think this is where he was able to realize his technician soul, which had no place in professional life.”
For the past ten years, Heinz Stricker has suffered from severe diabetes, which has made his everyday life difficult. During these times his wife Helga was always by his side. Without their commitment, Heinz would not have been able to put many of his projects into practice. On January 25, Heinz Stricker died at the age of 73 in Hellmonsödt. The farewell will take place on February 11th in the Urnenhain in Linz/Urfahr.
Source: Nachrichten
