Was born in Essen Germany in 1938 and passed peacefully at his home in Endako on Oct 17, 2016. Alfred was predeceased by his wife Hilda of 33 years in 1993. He is survived by his son, Richard, daughter in-law Jean, and grandchildren Brian and Connor.
In 1960, Alfred married Hilda in Bavaria. Three years later, in 1963, Alfred and Hilda set out on a new adventure in search of freedom and space in a country where they could enjoy the great outdoors and own their own home. Looking at a map of Canada, Alfred and Hilda decided to pick the middle of the country. They landed in Thompson, Manitoba, and started their new Canadian life.
Early in their stay in Thompson, Alfred experienced an “only in Canada” story. He was always fascinated with wildlife and one day, he saw a beaver, shuffling, on the side of the road. He decided to capture the beaver and take it home to study it, and maybe make a pet of it. He grabbed a crate from his car, scooped the beaver into it, put it in his trunk and drove home. While driving home, he heard a lot of chewing noises in his trunk, and it worried him. When he got home, he decided to lock the beaver in a sturdier wooden box, and put the animal in its new home in his basement. But, during the night, the beaver kept chewing until it was free rooming in the basement, terrifying Alfred and Hilda. In the middle of the night, Alfred recaptured the beaver again, drove back to where he found it, and let the critter go. This was the first of many adventures Alfred had in his new country. Three long, Manitoba winters later, they started looking for a new home in Western Canada.
Arriving in Fraser Lake in the spring of 1966, Alfred soon starting working at the newly constructed Endako Mines as a truck driver and then later as a heavy-duty mechanic. He retired from Endako in 1998.
Alfred loved the outdoors and spend much of his spare time hunting, fishing and trapping the areas north of Endako. He was often seen in the bush in such places as Tatin, Owl and Hanson Lakes working his trapline which he started in 1979. After 53 years in Canada, he had a library of his adventures in the wilderness, and an encyclopedia of trapping and hunting skills, true stories he would share in his thick German accent with anyone who asked.
Alfred was a kind, gentle man who was a great husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He is missed by everyone who knew and loved him.