WALTER SIEMENS

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WALTER SIEMENS Walter passed away at sunrise on September 13, 2006 at his home in the R M of Tache, MB surrounded by his brothers, Jake, Albert, Peter; his sister-in-law Ester; and his mother Jessie. After he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on September 9, 2005, it was his wish to pass away at home and to spent his last year there in the company of his family. Walter was survived by one son Kevin; six brothers: Ben (Florence) of Calgary and their children and grandchildren; John of Bolton, ON and his children and grandchildren; Jake (Donna) of Edmonton and their children and grandchildren; Abe of Winnipeg; Albert (Ester) of Winkler; Peter (Joanne) of Edmonton and their children; and one sister Marlene (Max) of Whistler, BC. Walter was also survived by his parents, Mrs. Justina Bergmann of Winkler and Mr. John Siemens of Winnipeg. As well he leaves to mourn his many aunts and uncles and first cousins. He was born the sixth son on November 21, 1947 in Altona and moved to a farm south of Boissevain in 1949 with the family where he lived until he completed high school in 1967. He attended elementary school at Desford # 800 until grade 8 and then secondary school in Boissevain. In his last years, he reflected on his many nostalgic memories of his youth there, the place so many of his interests in adult life were developed. He was fortunate enough to attend the Desford reunion in August 2005 when, with the presence of many old classmates, the memories came flooding back. In his youth he learned the value of education (in its broadest sense), hard work and the old fashioned ethics of honesty, love, family, nature, a sense of humour and self reliance. He was known as an honest and hard worker even when he worked for local farmers such as Roy Armstrong and Drings Rafters during summer holidays. He worked for Kresge's in Thunder Bay and also the Ontario Department of Highways in Geralton in a break between grades 11 and 12. He bought his first car and motorcycle at this time and derived great pleasure in the freedom they gave him. Life was good! In 1974, Walter graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in agriculture. Walter, in the company of his brother Peter, enjoyed his university years, studying enough to graduate but not enough to interfere with all the good times. Holiday breaks were spent working at home renovation jobs. Upon graduation, he used the skills he'd learned to go into contracting, building basements and houses, an endeavour at which he showed a tremendous capacity and accomplished much. On June 2, 1973 he married Debbie Lavalle of Winnipeg, who, in 1976, bore one son Kevin before their marriage dissolved. After building several of his own homes, Walter laid down the hammer and picked up his real estate licence in the late 1980s, working for Sutton Realty until he joined his brother Albert in the operation of the Winkler Inn in 1997 until it was sold in 2002. In Winkler, Walter and Albert fought the town in the battle for individual freedom. After October 31, 2002 Walter retired. Before and after retirement he was able to take many trips of discovery to most of Canada and the USA, to Central and South America and to Europe. He found time to enjoy many fishing trips, to undertake private pilot training and to pay visits to his family and friends. In his last year, he supervised renovations to his home in the RM of Tache, enjoyed many visitors and honed his appreciation of the birds in nature. Fond hours were spent on his new deck and around the firepit at night. Walter's family would like to thank all the caregivers and nurses from South East Palliative Care from St. Anne who became part of his family. The fine nursing care of Eva and Yvonne was exceptional. We will be forever grateful. We would also like to pay tribute to Earl and Delores Larter, the finest neighbours Walter and his family could ever wish for. A special thank you to Jonathan and Pam Fedack for your many kindnesses. To Peter Redekopp, our cousin and pastor from Crystal City, our heartfelt thanks for providing words of hope and comfort. And finally to Wiebe's Funeral Home, thank you. Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler In care of arrangements, 325-4201 www.wiebefuneralhomes.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 23, 2006