HERBERT DOUGLAS ZIER - VOGEL

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HERBERT DOUGLAS ZIER - VOGEL July 6, 1960 - July 17, 2010 Unexpectedly on Saturday, July 17, 2010 surrounded by the mountainous beauty of Baffin Island near Clyde River, Nunavut, Herb Douglas Zier-Vogel passed away at the age of 50. Remaining to forever cherish Herb's memory are his three beautiful children Benjamin, 17, Maggie, 15 and Katarina, 13; the mother of his children Kim, 41; sister Josie McKenzie (Don) nee Zier-Vogel; brothers Chris Zier-Vogel (Debra) and Richard Zier-Vogel (ex-wife Diana); parents Maggie and Gene Kohut; brother Barry (Judy) Kohut; sister Gina (Rob) Shuvera (nee Kohut); numerous nieces; nephews; cousins; friends and co-workers. He was predeceased by his father Henry; mother Mary and his sister Corinne Zier-Vogel. They passed away in a tragic accident in Golden, BC on September 4, 1966 on the way home from vacationing with family in Vancouver. Herb was the only survivor. Herb was raised by his Aunt Maggie (nee Unger) and Uncle Gene Kohut who he began calling mom and dad . Herb's main residence was in Edmonton but he also had a condo in Winnipeg where he would spend regular visits with his children. He lived his life for his kids. Nothing was more important than his three children. His gift to them was time. Herb was a sweet gentle father, not a tough disciplinarian, which can be a problem for those that don't manage in that style, but meet his children and you will meet free spirited kids with lots of character, free thinkers, and they will have success in life, again, depending on how you judge success. You will see that Herb has passed many of his best traits onto his children. He was not without fault though. You may not have wanted him as your housekeeper, but you would have loved him as your neighbour. And you certainly would want him as your cook, as food to him brought on culture. He would research the country as well as the recipe and be totally connected as he slowly prepared some of the most incredible feasts one will ever eat. Watching Herb cook was a treat, but discussing the recipe made it that much better. He knew the art of slow food and practiced it long before it became popular. If you knew Herb, then you know he was one of the most intelligent people you will have ever had the opportunity of meeting. But he was so much more than that. He was a true philosopher, with genuine theories of his own. Herb graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Engineering, but like a true renaissance man, he went on to the University of Winnipeg where he was awarded a Philosophy degree. Have you ever met someone who had no prejudices towards another race? Herb was the only one that many of us knew. He embraced ethnicity like no other. He was a voracious reader and never forgot one single fact that he read. He could carry on the most incredible conversations on any topic with anyone. Herb had wisdom: wisdom about life, family, how to treat the environment, the future hopes of our planet. He was of course better at giving advice than receiving it, a fault of too many of us, but his advice was sound. Herb left this world far too soon, and there was a lot of life yet to live. But we need to take solace in the fact that he was even in our lives at all and left an incredibly beautiful legacy in his three children. He lives on in them, in the way they think, read, study, intellectualize, love, travel, in their mannerisms, and the respect they hold for the world around them. On Wednesday, July 28 Herb's Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the Westwood Community Church, 401 Westwood Drive. Interment will follow in Brookside Cemetery, 3001 Notre Dame Avenue. Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow. I am the gentle showers of rain, I am the fields of ripening grain. I am in the morning hush, I am in the graceful rush Of beautiful birds in circling flight, I am the star shine of the night. I am in the flowers that bloom, I am in a quiet room. I am in the birds that sing, I am in each lovely thing. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there. I do not die.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 24, 2010