HORST ERIK (VON) WICHERT

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HORST ERIK (VON) WICHERT Tragically, at the age of 73 years, in the company of his beloved Shirley, Horst died on Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Horst will be sadly missed by his son Paul; daughter Andrea; his sister Doris Dirks; sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. A life-long fisherman, he will be missed by his fishing buddies, his colleagues of Hydro-X, church, friends and family. He was predeceased by parents Erik and Rita; first wife Erna; and nephew Peter Dirks. Horst was born February 8, 1936 in Reval, Estonia to parents Oskar ERIK Konrad von Wichert and Margarethe Eugenie Bewer. After much hardship in Germany during and after the Second World War, as a teenager he and the surviving members of the family emigrated to Canada, settling in Winnipeg. He earned his high school diploma at nights while working at the old Eaton's downtown, eventually becoming an electrician, and finally earning a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba. Graduating in 1966, Horst began his thirty-year career with Manitoba Hydro, working his way up from junior Engineer to Division Manager of Power Systems Planning. That same year he married Erna Jaek and moved into their Charleswood home where they enjoyed gardening and bird watching for over thirty years. They eventually had two children, Paul and Andrea. Horst and Erna were active in their community, especially at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church where Horst could often be found changing light bulbs, fixing toilets and repairing anything else that wasn't working. Horst retired in 1995; he and Erna enjoyed traveling together, attending the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, organizing the book collection for the Manitoba Hydro Electrical Museum and taking daily walks up until Erna's death from cancer in 2003. During this time, he volunteered at Winnipeg Harvest and began to walk dogs at the Winnipeg Humane Society, an activity that he continued up until the end of his life. In 2004 he married Shirley Bartley, the adored sweetheart of his final years. Together they traveled the globe and spent time socializing with family and friends, playing scrabble, curling and going for long walks. Horst was so happy with his newfound love. A Celebration of Horst's life will be held on Monday, April 6 at 11:00 a.m. in the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 637 Buckingham Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Horst's memory to the Winnipeg Humane Society, 45 Hurst Way, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0R3.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 03, 2009