JOSEPH WOLFGANG MAIER

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

JOSEPH WOLFGANG MAIER Joseph Wolfgang Maier of Brandon, beloved husband of Kay and dear father of Joanne and Ron, passed away after a lengthy illness at the Brandon Regional Health Centre on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, at the age of 77 years. Joe was predeceased by his parents Josef and Anna Maier; and by his first sister Marianne. He is survived by his wife Kay; children, Joanne (Charles Beaupre) and Ron (Colleen Cariou); and his grandchildren, Catherine and Cameron Beaupre, and Jack, Nicholas and Scott Maier. He is also survived by his brother Karl Maier; sister Marianne Knab (Alois) and sister Elisabeth Stout and their families. He was born on February 21, 1930, in Munich, Germany. He grew up in Munich and attended high school from 1940 to 1944, in Amberg, Germany. He was drafted into the German army in 1944, at the age of 14. From 1946 to 1949, he worked as an apprentice cabinet-maker. He also played semi-professional soccer during this time. In 1950, he came to Canada on the Liberty Ship. He was hired as a draftsman to renovate a paper mill near Timmins, Ontario. He moved soon after to Winnipeg and worked at Canada Packers, running an employees' retail market. When the Korean War broke out in late 1950, he joined the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. He fought in Korea at the end of 1950 for nine months. He left the army in 1951 and worked as a lumberjack in Northwest Ontario. He later rejoined the army in 1954. He met and married Catherine (Kay) West in Winnipeg in 1958. Their daughter, Joanne, was born in Winnipeg in 1959. Their son, Ronald, was born in Ottawa in 1963. During Joe's military career, he served Canada at numerous bases including Rivers, Ottawa, Fort Henry (Germany) and Shilo. During these times, he was deployed to the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt/Israel) in a peacekeeping role, instructed parachuting, and was a ski instructor. In 1972, he moved his family to Brandon. He retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1974. After Joe's military career, he pursued other careers and hobbies. He was the manager of the Brandon Piano and Organ Centre. The coffee is always on was his motto. He then worked as the housekeeping manager at Oo-ze-wa-kwun, the former Rivers Air Force Base. He then became the comptroller of a group of industries based there including the Sekine Bicycle plant, Edson Trailers and others. Following this, he obtained his Real Estate license and also continued his organ repair business. Throughout his life, Joe had many hobbies including photography, downhill skiing, stamp collecting, astronomy, tropical fish, leatherworking, horseback riding, golf, ten-pin bowling, hunting and fishing, music, oil painting and computers. He was very proud to continue his education when he studied Astronomy at Brandon University. He was an avid reader throughout his life. He enjoyed traveling and has seen many places in the world including most of Europe, Mexico, and the U.S. as well as his deployments with the Canadian Forces. For the past 33 years, he has enjoyed his summers at Oak Lake Resort. He loved playing cards, boating and water-skiing, and family get-togethers, especially with his five grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at the Brockie Donovan Chapel, 332-8th Street, on Saturday, June 2, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow in the Veterans' Section at the Brandon Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joe may be made to the Brandon Humane Society, 2200-17th Street East, Brandon, MB R7A 7M6, or to a charity of choice. Messages of condolence may be placed at www.brockiedonovan.com. Arrangements are in care of Brockie Donovan, Brandon, (204) 727-0694.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 01, 2007