Laurier mourns the passing of Harold Remus

Oct. 29, 2020

The Wilfrid Laurier University community mourns the passing of Harold Remus, retired professor in the Department of Religion and Culture at Laurier and adjunct professor at Martin Luther University College. Remus was a renowned scholar who played a central role in religious studies at Laurier and across Canada.

He began teaching at Laurier in 1974 and participated in department activities long after his retirement.

“When I joined Laurier 23 years ago, Harold had already retired. He was, however, still active in the religious studies intellectual community of Waterloo and he greeted me warmly,” says Carol Duncan, professor in the Department of Religion and Culture. “He attended many events that I organized as both a professor and department chair, including in-class lectures featuring local storytellers from the Caribbean community, public lectures and Meet the Author book events.”

Harold was a member of many professional societies and served as the director of Wilfrid Laurier University Press; executive officer of the Council on the Study of Religion; president of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies; managing editor of the Council on the Study of Religion Bulletin and of Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses; and founding managing editor of Religious Studies Review. He was an author and co-author of many scholarly journals, encyclopedias, Bible dictionaries and books in the academic study of religion and biblical studies.

Remus is remembered as a prolific scholar, beloved colleague and champion of his community. As a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener, he was very active with its adult education program. He worked for full inclusion of the LGBTQ2S+ community in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. He also participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which was a defining moment in his life.

“Harold shared stories of his longtime commitment to social justice, including his attendance at the March on Washington in 1963 as part of the civil rights movement,” says Duncan.

Remus will be missed by his colleagues, peers and family. He is survived by his wife, Alice Croft, daughter, son and grandchildren. For a full obituary and details about the visitation and funeral service on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, please visit the Erb and Good Family Funeral Home website.