ERWIN KUHN

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ERWIN KUHN It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of our father and grandfather, Erwin Kuhn, on March 9, 2018, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He leaves to mourn his daughter Sonja (Musto), grandchildren, Dayna and Hailey and their father Ricardo Musto; his son Fred and wife Cheryl, and grandchildren Brian and Richelle; his brother Alex and niece Connie, nephew Harvey. He was predeceased by his wife Irma (Steinmetz) and his son Bernie. Erwin was born on June 8, 1929, in Martinofka, Ukraine. In 1936, war was raging and the Russians, under Stalin rule, came and killed all men with German descent including Erwin's father and uncles. In 1943, the family fled to Poland to escape Stalin rule and starvation and genocide and arrived in Wartegua, Birkenau. It would be many years later that Erwin would come to know that Auschwitz was a few kilometers away from his home where the Holocaust had occurred. He was 14 years old. In 1945, after the war was over he and his family escaped to Hamburg, Germany. In 1947, the Russians found him, and he was forced to work in a uranium mine making atom bombs. He escaped with a friend and paid his way back to the English sector of Germany. They met with the Red Cross and started working in a small town in Germany called Wachendorf. This is where Erwin met his wife Irma. In 1951, Erwin began an apprenticeship in masonry. In 1953, Erwin wanted to make a better life in Canada, so he went to stay with his brother Alex who came there a few years before. He worked several jobs and then went to Bisset, Manitoba to do his mining papers. He worked in Bisset and the Yukon, mining for several years. The whole family came to live in Winnipeg in 1958. He worked at Swifts Meat Packing for awhile and then started another masonry apprenticeship with Heymann and Schmidt. He stayed there for 35 years and worked his way up to be a foreman and ran many big jobs throughout Manitoba. After his retirement, he loved to travel with his "jalopy" on long road trips. He wandered in USA, Wisconsin, all throughout Manitoba, the Yukon and the West Coast. He never wanted to fly. In 1997 he took his first trip back to East Berlin after the wall came down, and he was finally able to visit his mother's grave. He loved to entertain visitors from Germany and show them Canada. He was a proud Canadian. He loved animals and will miss his favorite dog, Cotton, who he always brought treats. His favourite hobbies were gardening, working around the yard, and going out for breakfast every day at the Kildonan Motor Inn. Pop, you will be greatly missed, but we are comforted to know that you are now at peace and we love you very much. The family would also like to thank the doctors and staff at Riverview Health Center2W for their kindness during Erwin's brief time there. Funeral service will be held 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at Glen Eden Funeral Home, 4477 Main Street. Interment and reception to follow. Donations in Erwin's name can be made to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, 1160-675 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9 or Winnipeg Humane Society, 45 Hurst Way, Winnipeg, MB R3T 0R3. Family and friends may sign a Book of Condolence at www.glenedenmemorial.ca Glen Eden Funeral Home & Cemetery 204-338-7111

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 10, 2018