We mourn our colleague Mathias Klappenbach

He hadn’t been able to go his last ways alone for a long time. Our long-time Tagesspiegel colleague Mathias Klappenbach was seriously ill. Many readers have appreciated the expertise of his sports analyzes, many colleagues of his compassionate humanity, neighbors his never -ending courage to live.

Born in a poorer family in Ahlen as the middle of five sons, he always strived for something special. At school he skipped a class, in sports he found his passion, ran, played, played, always fought. With a brother, he fought a basketball duel in the event of scorching heat, which only ended after three hours at the stand of 151:149.

He was the first in the family to graduate from high school, who studied and went to Bielefeld. He always read, continued to develop, sucked words and knowledge. His dream was to be on the pulse of time to understand the world. And to laugh about them about them with others in the café. In the mid -1990s he made his dream come true and moved to Berlin.

As a sports connoisseur and football analyst, he came to the Tagesspiegel and explained the difficult game with the light ball with the “tactics school with Mathias Klappenbach” in a precise way. Through his waking spirit, he gained humans and brought them together, with a fine sense he analyzed this: When it came to love, literature or fashions, he consulted him. Friends loved his sincerity and Lakonie.

The long fight against multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis decomposes the body bit by bit. The spirit remains awake and defends itself, always and yet in vain. At some point Mathias had to give away his bike and move to the ground floor, at some point he could hardly work and no longer run. He fought against the meanness of the disease. He always tried to claim himself and his dream of free life in Berlin, even if it was no longer possible. He returned to Ahlen ten years ago, and his mother visited him in the homes and clinics every day.

Now “The Clap”, as he called himself ironically, died at the age of 52. In the funeral notice, his family writes: “There was always time special with you.” Yes, that was her.