Skip to content

The owner of Plaza Bakery, Fritz Furtner, has hung up his white apron after baking for 50 years. Fritz passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on September 24, 2014, following a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Fritz leaves behind his loving wife, Mary; his children, Jamie Furtner, Nadine (Joel) MacDonald, Ursula Furtner, Cassie (Ryan) Manley, and Travis Eller; his grandchildren Tiffany, Kade, Brynlee, and Jonathan; his Swiss family, his dear mother Gertrude Hess, and his sisters Marianne (Erich) Balmer, Barbara (Urs) Burkhardt, Michaela (Markus) Borter, brother-in-law Markus Gunther, along with numerous niece and nephews. Fritz was predeceased by his sister Walburga Gunther and father Alois Georg Furtner. He will be dearly missed by his family, his many close friends, and his valued customers.

Fritz was born on February 26, 1950 in Irdning, Austria, where he caused trouble for many people by pulling pranks and generally having a good time. He entered pastry chef school at the age of 14 in Austria because he thought it would be an easy job. In 1972 he immigrated to Canada to make a better life, where he worked in Toronto and Vancouver before settling in Castlegar in 1976. He managed the Marlane Hotel, then worked in Trail at SuperValu before purchasing Plaza Bakery in 1985, where he baked for 29 plus years.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Southern Interior Rotary Lodge - follow the donation link at http://bc.cancer.ca or call 1-888-700-1131.



Your condolences will be approved within one business day. You will need a valid Facebook account. Please email us if you have any questions.